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International audience; We revise formal and numerical aspects of collinear and non-collinear density functional theories in the context of a two-component self-consistent treatment of spin–orbit coupling. Theoretical and numerical analyses of the non-collinear approaches confirm their ability to yield the proper collinear limit and provide rotational invariance of the total energy for functionals in the local-density or generalized-gradient approximations (GGAs). Calculations on simple molecules corroborate the formal considerations and highlight the importance of an effective screening algorithm to provide the sufficient level of numerical stability required for a rotationally invariant implementation of non-collinear GGA functionals. The illustrative calculations provide a first numerical comparison of both previously proposed non-collinear formulations for GGA functionals. The proposed screening procedure allows us to effectively deal with points of small magnetization, which would otherwise be problematic for the evaluation of the exchange–correlation energy and/or potential for non-collinear GGA functionals. Both previously suggested formulations for the non-collinear GGA are confirmed to be adequate for total energy calculations, provided that the screening is achieved on a sufficiently fine grid. All methods are implemented in the Crystal program.

International audience; Magnetic particles (MPs) coated with humic acid (HA) prepared under anoxic atmosphere were tested as heterogeneous photo-Fenton catalyst for the activation of hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2) and persulfate (S 2 O 8 2−) using Bisphenol A (BPA) as a model pollutant. The role of HA coating, pH value and H 2 O 2 /S 2 O 8 2− concentration were investigated. A positive contribution of HA coating on H 2 O 2 and S 2 O 8 2− activation was found. The highest BPA degradation rates were achieved at acidic conditions (pH 3) with both H 2 O 2 and S 2 O 8 2− , however persulfate showed a significant efficiency even at pH 6, interesting feature in the light of decreasing the wastewater treatment costs. By the addition of selective quenching agents, % OH and SO 4 %-were identified as the main reactive species involved in the BPA abatement. An important contribution of the S 2 O 8 2− photolysis on the overall BPA transformation was highlighted. The reuse of the catalyst was investigated and similar efficiency using H 2 O 2 and S 2 O 8 2− activation was observed until the third catalytic cycle. Experiments carried out using real wastewater samples, showed a good, even if less efficient compared to pure water, BPA removal.

International audience; A noncanonical coupled perturbed Kohn–Sham density functional theory (KS-DFT)/Hartree-Fock (HF) treatment of spin–orbit coupling (SOC) is provided. We take the scalar-relativistic KS-DFT/HF solution, obtained with a relativistic effective core potential, as the zeroth-order approximation. Explicit expressions are given for the total energy through the 4th order, which satisfy the 2n + 1 rule. Second-order expressions are provided for orbital energies and density variables of spin-current DFT. Test calculations are carried out on the halogen homonuclear diatomic and hydride molecules, including 6p and 7p elements, as well as open-shell negative ions. The computed properties through second or third order match well with those from reference two-component self-consistent field calculations for total and orbital energies as well as spin-current densities. In only one case (At2–) did a significant deviation occur for the remaining density variables. Our coupled perturbation theory approach provides an efficient way of adding the effect of SOC to a scalar-relativistic single-reference KS-DFT/HF treatment, in particular because it does not require diagonalization in the two-component spinor basis, leading to saving factors on the number of required floating-point operations that may exceed one order of magnitude.

The spin-current density functional theory (SCDFT), when formulated in a basis of Pauli spinors, provides a proper theoretical framework for the study of materials in an arbitrarily oriented external magnetic field and/or upon inclusion of spin-dependent relativistic effects, such as spin-orbit coupling. The SCDFT is formulated in terms of the particle-number density $n$, the Cartesian components of the magnetization ${m}_{x},$ ${m}_{y},$ and ${m}_{z}$, the orbital-current density $\mathbit{j}$, and the three spin-current densities ${\mathbit{J}}^{x},$ ${\mathbit{J}}^{y},$ and ${\mathbit{J}}^{z}$, where each of these density variables depends on specific blocks of the density matrix. Exchange-correlation (xc) functionals within the SCDFT should therefore depend on all of these eight fundamental density variables: ${F}_{xc}[n,{m}_{x},{m}_{y},{m}_{z},\mathbit{j},{\mathbit{J}}^{x},{\mathbit{J}}^{y},{\mathbit{J}}^{z}]$, which makes their parametrization a formidable task. Here, we formulate the adiabatic connection of the SCDFT for a treatment of exact Fock exchange in the theory. We show how the inclusion of a fraction of Fock exchange in standard functionals of the (spin) DFT (either in their collinear or noncollinear versions: ${F}_{xc}[n],$ ${F}_{xc}[n,{m}_{z}]$ and ${F}_{xc}[n,{m}_{x},{m}_{y},{m}_{z}]$) allows for the two-electron potential to depend on all those blocks of the density matrix that correspond to the eight density variables of the SCDFT, in a sensible and yet practical way. In particular, in the local-density and generalized-gradient approximations of the SCDFT, the treatment of the current densities solely from the Fock exchange term is formally justified by the short-range behavior of the exchange hole. We discuss that the adiabatic coupling strength parameter modulates the two-electron coupling of the orbital- and spin-current densities with the particle-number density and magnetization. Formal considerations are complemented by numerical tests on a periodic model system in the presence of spin-orbit coupling and in the absence of an external magnetic field.

International audience; Phototransformation is important for the fate in surface waters of the pharmaceuticals diclofenac (DIC) and naproxen (NAP) and for clofibric acid (CLO), a metabolite of the drug clofibrate. The goal of this paper is to provide an overview of the prevailing photochemical processes, which these compounds undergo in the different conditions found in freshwater environments. The modelled photochemical half-life times of NAP and DIC range from a few days to some months, depending on water conditions (chemistry and depth) and on the season. The model indicates that direct photolysis is the dominant degradation pathway of DIC and NAP in sunlit surface waters, and potentially toxic cyclic amides were detected as intermediates of DIC direct phototransformation. With modelled half-life times in the month-year range, CLO is predicted to be more photostable than DIC or NAP and to be degraded mainly by reaction with the •OH radical and with the triplet states of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (3CDOM*). The CLO intermediates arising from these processes and detected in this study (hydroquinone and 4-chlorophenol) are, respectively, a chronic toxicant to aquatic organisms and a possible carcinogen for humans. Hydroquinone is formed with only ∼5% yield upon CLO triplet-sensitised transformation, but it is highly toxic for algae and crustaceans. In contrast, the formation yield of 4-chlorophenol reaches ∼50% upon triplet sensitisation and ∼10% by ·OH reaction. The comparison of model predictions with field data from a previous study yielded a very good agreement in the case of DIC and, when using 4-carboxybenzophenone as proxy for triplet sensitisation by CDOM, a good agreement was found for CLO as well. In the case of NAP, the comparison with field data suggests that its direct photolysis quantum yield approaches or even falls below the lower range of literature values.

International audience; There is increasing evidence that aqueous-phase atmospheric chemistry is an important source of secondary organic aerosols (SOA), but the related processes are currently not adequately represented in atmospheric chemistry models. Here we show that the absorption spectrum of pyruvic acid (PA) exhibits both an increase of the absorption intensity and a red shift of 13 nm while going from a dilute aqueous phase to a solution containing the inert salt sodium perchlorate (5M NaClO4). If this phenomenon turns out to be more general, many compounds that do not absorb actinic light in clouds and fog could become light absorbers at elevated salt concentrations in aerosol deliquescent particles. Compared to the direct photolysis of PA in dilute aqueous solution, the photolysis rate is increased by three times at high ionic strength (5M NaClO4). Such a considerable enhancement can be rationalized in the framework of the Debye-McAulay approach for reactions of ionic + neutral (or neutral + neutral) species, considering that the PA direct photolysis likely involves interaction between the photogenerated triplet state and water. This is, to our knowledge, the first report of a significant effect of the ionic strength on the rate of an atmospheric photochemical reaction. The phenomenon has important implications for the fate of PA and, potentially, of other organic compounds in atmospheric aerosol deliquescent particles.

International audience; The exploitation of organic waste as a source of bio-based substances to be used in environmental applications is gaining increasing interest. In the present research, compost-derived bio-based substances (BBS-Cs) were used to prepare hybrid magnetic nanoparticles (HMNPs) to be tested as an auxiliary in advanced oxidation processes. Hybrid magnetic nanoparticles can be indeed recovered at the end of the treatment and re-used in further water purification cycles. The research aimed to give new insights on the photodegradation of caffeine, chosen as marker of anthropogenic pollution in natural waters, and representative of the contaminants of emerging concern (CECs). Hybrid magnetic nanoparticles were synthetized starting from Fe(II) and Fe(III) salts and BBS-C aqueous solution, in alkali medium, via co-precipitation. Hybrid magnetic nanoparticles were characterized via X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The effect of pH, added hydrogen peroxide, and dissolved oxygen on caffeine photodegradation in the presence of HMNPs was assessed. The results allow for the hypothesis that caffeine abatement can be obtained in the presence of HMNPs and hydrogen peroxide through a heterogeneous photo-Fenton mechanism. The role of hydroxyl radicals in the process was assessed examining the effect of a selective hydroxyl radical scavenger on the caffeine degradation kinetic.

International audience

International audience; By a combination of transient absorption spectroscopy and steady-state irradiation experiments, we investigated the transformation of phenol and furfuryl alcohol (FFA) sensitised by irradiated 4-carboxybenzophenone (CBBP). The latter is a reasonable proxy molecule to assess the reactivity of the excited triplet states of the chromophoric dissolved organic matter that occurs in natural waters. The main reactive species for the transformation of both phenol and FFA was the CBBP triplet state, despite the fact that FFA is a commonly used probe for 1O2. In the case of FFA it was possible to develop a simple kinetic model that fitted well the experimental data obtained by steady-state irradiation, in a wide range of FFA concentration values. In the case of phenol the model was made much more complex by the likely occurrence of back reactions between radical species (e.g., phenoxyl and superoxide). This problem can be tackled by considering only the experimental data at low phenol concentration, where the degradation rate increases linearly with concentration. We do not recommend the use of 1O2 scavengers/quenchers such as sodium azide to elucidate CBBP photoreaction pathways, because the azide provides misleading results by also acting as a triplet-state quencher. Based on the experimental data, we propose a methodology for the measurement of the CBBP triplet-sensitisation rate constants from steady-state irradiation experiments, allowing for a better assessment of the triplet-sensitised degradation of emerging contaminants.

This study shows that methyl 2-aminobenzoate (also known as methyl anthranilate, hereafter MA) undergoes direct photolysis under UVC and UVB irradiation and that its photodegradation is further accelerated in the presence of H2O2. Hydrogen peroxide acts as a source of hydroxyl radicals (·OH) under photochemical conditions and yields MA hydroxyderivatives. The trend of MA photodegradation rate vs. H2O2 concentration reaches a plateau because of the combined effects of H2O2 absorption saturation and ·OH scavenging by H2O2. The addition of chloride ions causes scavenging of ·OH, yielding Cl2·− as the most likely reactive species, and it increases the MA photodegradation rate at high H2O2 concentration values. The reaction between Cl2·− and MA, which has second-order rate constant k C l 2 • − + M A = (4.0 ± 0.3) × 108 M−1·s−1 (determined by laser flash photolysis), appears to be more selective than the ·OH process in the presence of H2O2, because Cl2·− undergoes more limited scavenging by H2O2 compared to ·OH. While the addition of carbonate causes ·OH scavenging to produce CO3·− ( k C O 3 • − + M A = (3.1 ± 0.2) × 108 M−1·s−1), carbonate considerably inhibits the photodegradation of MA. A possible explanation is that the elevated pH values of the carbonate solutions make H2O2 to partially occur as HO2−, which reacts very quickly with either ·OH or CO3·− to produce O2·−. The superoxide anion could reduce partially oxidised MA back to the initial substrate, with consequent inhibition of MA photodegradation. Fast MA photodegradation is also observed in the presence of persulphate/UV, which yields SO4·− that reacts effectively with MA ( k S O 4 • − + M A = (5.6 ± 0.4) × 109 M−1·s−1). Irradiated H2O2 is effective in photodegrading MA, but the resulting MA hydroxyderivatives are predicted to be about as toxic as the parent compound for aquatic organisms (most notably, fish and crustaceans).

International audience; The Coronation Gospels or Krönungsevangeliar is a manuscript kept in Vienna at the Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, datable to the end of VIII century A.D. and produced at Charlemagne court. It is an example of a purple codex, i.e. its parchment is coloured in purple. It has to be considered as one of the most important medieval codices, according to its use to take oath in the coronation ceremony of kings and emperors of the Holy Roman Empire up to 1792. In order to gather information of the manufacture of the manuscript and its present conservation state, a diagnostic investigation campaign has been carried out in situ with totally non-invasive techniques. X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry (XRF), UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectrophotometry with optical fibres (FORS), spectrofluorimetry, optical microscopy and multispectral analysis have been applied in order to identify the colourants used in the decoration of the manuscript, with the main concern to the dye used to impart the purple hue to the parchment. The information collected was useful in order to address some of the questions raised by art historians concerning its history.

The corrosion inhibitor 1H-benzotriazole (pKa = 8.4) can exist in two different forms in natural waters, and photochemical transformation is a potentially significant attenuation pathway for both of them. Depending on conditions, the modelled half-life times range from some days/weeks to several months. In sunlit water bodies, the acidic (neutral) form would undergo direct photolysis (accounting for up to 7% of total phototransformation) and, most notably, reaction with the hydroxyl radicals (·OH) and the triplet states of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (3CDOM*). The basic (anionic) form would undergo significant transformation with ·OH and 3CDOM*. The ·OH reactions would be more important at low dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and the 3CDOM* processes at high DOC. In the presence of highly reactive triplet-state model compounds, the two benzotriazole forms react with similar rate constants. In this case, they would show comparable half-life times in surface-water environments. With less reactive triplet states, the rate constant of the anionic form can be a couple of orders of magnitude higher than that of the neutral one. Under these circumstances, the neutral form could be considerably more photostable than the anionic one at high DOC. Therefore, depending on 3CDOM* reactivity, the solution pH may or may not play an important role in the photoattenuation kinetics of 1H-benzotriazole in sunlit natural waters, especially at high DOC. Both forms of benzotriazole yield hydroxyderivatives as their main transformation intermediates under all the relevant photochemical reaction pathways. These intermediates could be formed via ·OH-induced hydroxylation, or upon electron abstraction followed by reaction with water. Differently from UVC irradiation data reported in previous studies, the concentration of aniline upon excitation of 1H-benzotriazole under environmentally significant UV wavelengths was always below the detection limit of the analytical method used in this work (5 μmol L− 1).

International audience; The corrosion inhibitor 1H-benzotriazole (pKa = 8.4) can exist in two different forms in natural waters, and photochemical transformation is a potentially significant attenuation pathway for both of them. Depending on conditions, the modelled half-life times range from some days/weeks to several months. In sunlit water bodies, the acidic (neutral) form would undergo direct photolysis (accounting for up to 7% of total phototransformation) and, most notably, reaction with the hydroxyl radicals (·OH) and the triplet states of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (3CDOM*). The basic (anionic) form would undergo significant transformation with ·OH and 3CDOM*. The ·OH reactions would be more important at low dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and the 3CDOM* processes at high DOC. In the presence of highly reactive triplet-state model compounds, the two benzotriazole forms react with similar rate constants. In this case, they would show comparable half-life times in surface-water environments. With less reactive triplet states, the rate constant of the anionic form can be a couple of orders of magnitude higher than that of the neutral one. Under these circumstances, the neutral form could be considerably more photostable than the anionic one at high DOC. Therefore, depending on 3CDOM* reactivity, the solution pH may or may not play an important role in the photoattenuation kinetics of 1H-benzotriazole in sunlit natural waters, especially at high DOC. Both forms of benzotriazole yield hydroxyderivatives as their main transformation intermediates under all the relevant photochemical reaction pathways. These intermediates could be formed via ·OH-induced hydroxylation, or upon electron abstraction followed by reaction with water. Differently from UVC irradiation data reported in previous studies, the concentration of aniline upon excitation of 1H-benzotriazole under environmentally significant UV wavelengths was always below the detection limit of the analytical method used in this work (5 μmol L− 1).

International audience; The hydroxyl radical (center dot OH) is one of the most powerful oxidizing agents, able to react unselectively and instantaneously with the surrounding chemicals, including organic pollutants and inhibitors. The center dot OH radicals are omnipresent in the environment (natural waters, atmosphere, interstellar space, etc.), including biological systems where center dot OH has an important role in immunity metabolism. We provide an extensive view on the role of hydroxyl radical in different environmental compartments and in laboratory systems, with the aim of drawing more attention to this emerging issue. Further research on processes related to the hydroxyl radical chemistry in the environmental compartments is highly demanded. A comprehensive understanding of the sources and sinks of center dot OH radicals including their implications in the natural waters and in the atmosphere is of crucial importance, including the way irradiated chromophoric dissolved organic matter in surface waters yields center dot OH through the H2O2-independent pathway, and the assessment of the relative importance of gas-phase vs aqueous-phase reactions of center dot OH with many atmospheric components. Moreover, considering the fact that people spend so much more time in dwellings than outside, the impact of the reactivity of indoor hydroxyl radicals on health and well-being is another emerging research topic of great concern.

The singlet and triplet excited states of 4-hydroxybenzophenone (4BPOH) undergo deprotonation in the presence of water to produce the anionic ground-state, causing fluorescence quenching and photoactivity inhibition. The same process does not take place in an aprotic solvent such as acetonitrile. In acetonitrile, 4BPOH is fluorescent (interestingly, one of its fluorescence peaks overlaps with peak C of humic substances), it yields singlet oxygen upon irradiation and induces the triplet-sensitised transformation of phenol (with a rate constant of (6.6 ± 0.3) × 107 M−1 s−1 (μ ± σ) between phenol itself and a triplet 4BPOH). The 4BPOH shows an intermediate behaviour in a partially protic solvent such as 2-propanol, where some deprotonation of the excited states is observed. In acetonitrile/2-propanol mixtures (at least up to 50% of 2-propanol) there is also some evidence of alcohol oxidation by the 4BPOH triplet state, while the experimental data are silent concerning such a possibility in pure 2-propanol. Considering that benzophenones are important components of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) in surface waters, the present findings could have significance for the photoactivity of the hydrophilic surface layers vs. the hydrophobic cores of CDOM.

International audience; Triclosan (5-chloro-2-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)phenol) is a widely used antimicrobial agent that undergoes fairly slow biodegradation. It is often found in surface waters in both the acidic (HTric) and basic (Tric−) forms (pKa ∼8), and it can undergo direct photodegradation to produce several intermediates including a dioxin congener (2,8-dichlorodibenzodioxin, hereafter 28DCDD). The latter is formed from Tric− and causes non-negligible environmental concern. Differently from current literature reports, in this paper we show that the direct photolysis would not be the only important transformation pathway of triclosan in surface waters. This is particularly true for HTric, which could undergo very significant reactions with •OH and, if the laser-derived quenching rate constants of this work are comparable to the actual reaction rate constants, with the triplet states of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (3CDOM*). Model calculations suggest that reaction with 3CDOM* could be the main HTric phototransformation pathway in deep waters with high dissolved organic carbon (DOC), while reaction with •OH could prevail in low-DOC waters. In the case of Tric− the direct photolysis is much more important than for HTric, but triplet-sensitised transformation could produce 28DCDD + 27DCDD with higher yield compared to the direct photolysis, and it could play some role as dioxin source in deep waters with elevated DOC.