Redox Potential as a Parameter To Predict the Reductive Dechlorination Pathway of Chloroanilines in Anaerobic Environments

Abstract

The hypothesis that the microbially catalyzed pathway proceeds with a step that would yield the highest energy was examined for the reductive dechlorination of chloroanilines (CAs) under anaerobic conditions. The Gibbs free energy of formation was estimated with Benson's method, then the redox potentials were determined using an H+/H2 couple as the reference system. The observed pathways were compared using the redox potential of the reaction, and the results showed that the redox potential correctly predicts the pathway that yields the highest energy for the dechlorination step.