Kinetic study of the reactions between chloramine disinfectants and hydrogen peroxide: temperature dependence and reaction mechanism.

The temperature-dependent kinetics for the reaction between hydrogen peroxide and chloramine water disinfectants (NH2Cl, NHCl2, and NCl3) have been determined using stopped flow-UV/Vis spectrophotometry. Rate constants for the mono- and dichloramine-peroxide reaction were on the order of 10(-2)M(-1)s(-1) and 10(-5)M(-1)s(-1), respectively. The reaction of trichloramine with peroxide was negligibly slow compared to its thermal and photolytically-induced decomposition. Arrhenius expressions of ln(kH2O2-NH2Cl)=(17.3±1.5)-(51500±3700)/RT and ln(kH2O2-NHCl2)=(18.2±1.9)-(75800±5100)/RT were obtained for the mono- and dichloramine peroxide reaction over the temperature ranges 11.4-37.9 and 35.0-55.0°C, respectively. Both monochloramine and hydrogen peroxide were first-order in the rate-limiting kinetic step and concomitant measurements made using a chloride ion selective electrode showed that the chloride was produced quantitatively. These data will aid water utilities in predicting chloramine concentrations (and thus disinfection potential) throughout the water distribution system.