« Previous Abstract"Carbon suboxide, a highly reactive intermediate from the abiotic degradation of aromatic compounds in soil"    Next AbstractGenetically engineered transvestites reveal novel mating genes in budding yeast »

Environ Sci Technol

Title:		Natural abiotic formation of furans in soil
Author(s):		Huber SG; Wunderlich S; Scholer HF; Williams J;
Address:		"Institute of Earth Sciences and Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany. stefan.huber@geow.uni-heidelberg.de"
Journal Title:		Environ Sci Technol
Year:		2010
Volume:		44
Issue:		15
Page Number:		5799 - 5804
DOI:		10.1021/es100704g
ISSN/ISBN:		1520-5851 (Electronic) 0013-936X (Linking)
Abstract:		"Furan and its derivates are a potentially important, and little studied, class of volatile organic compounds of relevance to atmospheric chemistry. The emission of these reactive compounds has been attributed previously to biomass burning processes and biogenic sources. This paper investigates the natural abiotic formation of furans in soils, induced by the oxidation of organic matter by iron(III) and hydrogen peroxide. Several model compounds like catechol, substituted catechols, and phenols as well as different organic-rich soil samples were investigated for the release of furans. The measurements were performed with a purge and trap GC/MS system and the influence of hydrogen peroxide, reaction temperature, iron(III), pH, and reaction time on furan yield was determined. The optimal reaction turnover obtained with catechol was 2.33 microg of furan from 0.36 mg of carbon. Results presented in this paper show that a cleavage of catechol into a C2- and a C4-fragment occurs, in which the C4-fragment forms furan by integrating an oxygen atom stemming from H2O2. Furthermore, phenols could be transformed into catecholic structures under these Fenton-like conditions and also display the formation of furans. In conclusion, catalytic amounts of iron(III), the presence of hydrogen peroxide, and acidic conditions can be seen as the most important parameters required for an optimized furan formation"
Keywords:		Furans/analysis/*chemical synthesis Hydrogen Peroxide/chemistry Iron/chemistry Oxidation-Reduction Phenols/chemistry Soil Pollutants/analysis/*chemical synthesis Volatile Organic Compounds/analysis/*chemical synthesis;
Notes:		"MedlineHuber, Stefan G Wunderlich, S Scholer, Heinz F Williams, J eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't 2010/07/10 Environ Sci Technol. 2010 Aug 1; 44(15):5799-804. doi: 10.1021/es100704g"