文摘
The degradation pathway of environmental contaminant 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) was investigated computationally at the SMD(Pauling)/M06-2X/6-311+G(d,p) level of theory. The dominant decomposition pathway of TNT → 4,6-dinitro-o-cresol → 4,6-dinitro-2-hydroxybenzylalcohol → 4,6-dinitro-2-hydroxybenzaldehyde was provided, and the corresponding predicted products and their distributions are in a good agreement with available experimental data on TNT degradation by Fenton reaction. It was shown that the mechanism of addition–elimination is crucial for this stage of the reaction. The reaction of H atom abstraction is a minor competing pathway. The details on transition states, intermediate radicals, and free energy surfaces for all proposed reactions are given and make up for a lack of experimental knowledge.