Photodegradation-absence oxygen

Photolysis of PVC in the presence of oxygen causes oxidation of the polymer. However, under most (perhaps all) conditions, in both the presence and absence of oxygen, the photodegradation is complicated by scissions of carbon-chlorine bonds. Such scissions may lead to the formation of conjugated polyene sequences via sequential dehydrochlorination (Equation 1). The polyenes... 

Shirayama H, Tohezo Y, Taguchi S (2001) Photodegradation of Chlorinated Hydrocarbons in the Presence and Absence of Dissolved Oxygen in Water, Wat. Res. 35, No. 

The photodegradation reactions involve not only the photooxidation, but also the photoreduction. For example, Chu W. and Javert C.T. (1994) reported a photoreduction reaction for aromatic compounds in the presence of hydrogen sources in which high reaction quantum yields were observed. Many dyes are also noted for their ease of deco lour ization in the absence of oxygen when a suitable electron donor or hydrogen source is present. For example, in the scheme IV, formation of colourless leuco-form of anthraquinone dye is observed after photo-reduction that the main structural integrity of the dye molecule retains (Rys P. and Zollinger H., 1972). 

More detailed investigations by Rabek and Pajak [508] show that DPPH (concentration 10-3—10-4 mole l-1) added to a solution of cis-l,4-polyisoprene in benzene or n-heptane accelerates the photodegradation in the presence as well as in the absence of oxygen. It was discovered that the products of photochemical decomposition of DPPH have stronger sensitizing properties with respect to the photodegradation of diene polymers than has the undecomposed DPPH. 

Yamashita T H, Tomitaka T, Kudo K, Horie K and Mita I, The photodegradation of poly(ether sulfone) and PSF in the presence and absence of oxygen , Polym. Degrad. Stabil., 1993, 9, 47. 

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