Catalytic activation of dioxygen to hydroxyl radical and efficient oxidation of o-aminophenol by cobalt(II) ions in bicarbonate aqueous solution

Abstract Increasing attention has been paid to the activation of the ideal oxidant O 2 to reactive oxygen species for environmental pollutants transformation and complete degradation. In this work, the oxidation of o -aminophenol (OAP), a poor biodegradable intermediate, by simple Co 2+ ions in HCO 3 − aqueous solution with O 2 under ambient conditions was investigated. The results reveal that OAP is efficiently transformed to a less harmful compound 2-aminophenoxazine-3-one (APZ) by the Co 2+ –HCO 3 − system. HCO 3 − is necessary for the reaction by promoting the protonation of the two-electron reduction species of O 2 to produce H 2 O 2 . The metal-bound hydroxyl radical ( • OH) generated from the intermediacy of H 2 O 2 contributes to APZ formation. Based on the analysis of electron spin resonance spin-trapping technologies, radical scavenging measurements and kinetics of APZ formation under different conditions, a possible pathway for • OH radical formation and APZ production is proposed. This study can provide new insight on the mechanism of the molecular oxygen activation by simple metal complexes and their application on pollutant removal under mil reaction conditions.