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Updated: Jun 15, 2026

Measurement of the Potential Rates of Dissimilatory Nitrate Reduction to Ammonium Based on 14NH4+/15NH4+ Analyses via Sequential Conversion to N2O
Published on: October 7, 2020
Nitrogenous disinfection byproducts formation and nitrogen origin exploration during chloramination of nitrogenous
Xin Yang1, Chihhao Fan, Chii Shang
1Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China. xinyang@ust.hk
Abstract:
Formation of nitrogenous disinfection by-products (N-DBPs) of cyanogen chloride (CNCl), dichloroacetonitrile (DCAN) and chloropicrin was evaluated during chloramination of several selected groups of nitrogenous organic (organic-N) compounds, including alpha-amino acids, amines, dipeptides, purines, and pyrimidines, The intermediates generated, reaction pathways, and nitrogen origin in N-DBPs were explored as well. CNCl was observed in chloramination of all tested organic-N compounds, with glycine giving the highest yields. DCAN was formed during chloramination of glutamic acid, cytosine, cysteine, and tryptophan. Chloramination of most organic-N compounds except for cysteine and glutamic acid generated chloropicrin. Aldehydes and nitriles were identified as the intermediates by negative mode electrospray ionization mass spectrometry during reactions of NH(2)Cl and organic-N compounds. Labeled (15)N-monochloramine ((15)NH(2)Cl) techniques showed that nitrogen in N-DBPs may originate from both NH(2)Cl and organic-N compounds and the nitrogen partition percentages vary as functions of reactants and pH.
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