Production of polychlorinated phenoxyphenols (predioxins) by aqueous chlorination of organic compounds

Abstract The reactions of phenolic substances with hypochlorite in water were investigated by means of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Chlorinated and methylated phenols were shown to produce polychlorinated phenoxyphenols (predioxins), having one to nine chlorine atoms, as the by-products in chlorine-treated water. The production of some of these compounds is dependent on the number of equivalents of chlorine per mol of compound and on the reaction pH.