Photo-degradation and emission characteristics of benzidine in halomethane solvents

Benzidine is an aromatic base of importance in industry. It represents a serious pollutant in many industrial effluents and its photodegradation is of great interest. The mechanism of photo-chemical decomposition of benzidine in different halomethane solvents in addition to the corresponding UV absorption spectra and fluorescence emission spectra are discussed. The photochemical quantum yields (phiC lambda ex = 254 nm) of benzidine in halomethanes is dependent upon the halogen content in the solvent. This effect may be explained by the assumption that free radicals are formed during photolysis of these solvents followed by the abstraction of electrons from a benzidine molecule forming macroradicals of the latter. Both mono- and di-radical benzidine cations have been detected by different techniques. The well known electron absorption peak at 283 nm is characteristic of neutral benzidine while those observed at ca. 370 and 565 nm are assigned to the blue-monoradical cation and yellow-diradical cation, respectively. The blue-monoradical cation has been isolated after irradiation as a blue precipitate. A comparison between neutral benzidine and the blue monoradical cation are made using both IR and differential thermal analysis (DTA) techniques. The fluorescence quenching of solutions of benzidine in inert solvents using halomethanes have been studied. The results obtained are interpreted in terms of a diffusional quenching mechanism.