Abstract:
The photolysis of solutions of propachlor (I) was investigated. Photolysis carried out under UV light (5 h) led to about 80% decomposition of I. The three photodegradation products isolated were N-isopropyloxindole (II), N-isopropyl-3-hydroxyoxindole (III), and a spiro compound (IV). Photolysis performed under visible light (12 h) of the solution of I containing riboflavin led to the almost complete photodegradation of the title compound. From the irradiated solutions, only minute amounts of one photodegradation product were isolated and identified: m-hydroxypropachlor (V). The chemical structures of the photodegradation products were determined by spectroscopic methods. The structures of II and V were also confirmed by comparison with those of the authentic samples prepared by chemical methods. The photodegradation products in the reaction mixture from visible light experiments were checked for phytotoxicity and found to be nontoxic to the test plants. © 1984 American Chemical Society.