Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 16, 2026

Laser-free Hydroxyl Radical Protein Footprinting to Perform Higher Order Structural Analysis of Proteins
Published on: June 4, 2021
Aqueous photolysis of 8:2 fluorotelomer alcohol
Suzanne A Gauthier1, Scott A Mabury
1Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, 80 St-George St., Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H6, Canada.
Abstract:
The 8:2 fluorotelomer alcohol (8:2 FTOH) was photodegraded in aqueous hydrogen peroxide solutions, synthetic field water (SFW) systems, and Lake Ontario (Canada) water samples. It was found to undergo indirect photolysis, with the data suggesting that the hydroxyl radical was the main degradation agent and that nitrate promoted photolysis whereas dissolved organic carbon inhibited it. The half-lives of 8:2 FTOH were 0.83 +/- 0.20 h (10 mM H2O2), 38.0 +/- 6.0 h (100 microM H2O2), 30.5 +/- 8.0 to 163.1 +/- 3.0 h (SFW systems), and 93.2 +/- 10.0 h (Lake Ontario). No significant loss of the parent compound by direct photolysis could be observed. The major monitored products were the 8:2 fluorotelomer aldehyde, the 8:2 fluorotelomer acid (8:2 FTCA), and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA); the minor monitored products were the 8:2 fluorotelomer unsaturated acid (8:2 FTUCA) and perfluorononanoate (PFNA). The intermediates, 8:2 FTCA and 8:2 FTUCA, were photodegraded to verify the degradation pathway, and a mechanism for the photolysis was proposed whereby the end products of the photolysis pathway were PFOA (major) and PFNA (minor).
Related Concept Videos
Hydroboration-Oxidation of Alkenes
Acid Halides to Esters: Alcoholysis
Preparation of Alcohols via Addition Reactions
The acid-catalyzed addition of water to the double bond of alkenes is a large-scale industrial method used to synthesize low-molecular-weight alcohols. An acidic atmosphere is required to allow the hydrogen in the water molecule to act as an electrophile and attack the double bond in an alkene. The addition of a proton to the double bond creates a carbocation intermediate. The proton preferentially bonds to the less substituted end of the double bond to create a more stable carbocation...
Acid-Catalyzed Dehydration of Alcohols to Alkenes
Radical Formation: Homolysis
Physical Properties of Alcohols and Phenols
Alcohols possess a higher boiling point than aliphatic hydrocarbons of similar...

