Radiation induced decomposition of methyl tert-butyl ether in water in presence of chloroform: kinetic modelling.

The destruction of methyl tert-butylether (MTBE) in water in the presence of chloroform has been studied using 60Co gamma irradiation. Distilled water solutions at three different concentrations of the individual solutes MTBE and CHCl3 were irradiated for various times to provide dose destruction information. Then, the irradiation of a mixture of MTBE (at two different concentrations) and CHCl3 (at one concentration) was conducted. A kinetic model was used incorporating recently determined bimolecular rate constants to describe the destruction of the MTBE and CHCl3 individually and in mixtures. These studies were conducted in distilled water simplifying the radiation chemistry significantly. With the improvements in the modelling capability, we are closer to being able to use the model to study "real-world" mixtures in natural waters.