Kinetics and Hydrolysis Mechanism of 2,4-dichlorofenoxyacetic acid

Abstract

The hydrolytic transformation kinetics of the 2,4-dichlorofenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) was investigated as a function of pH. The hydrolysis rate was pH-dependent and the first order. The hydrolysis was much faster in acidic media than under neutral conditions. Two metabolites have been isolated and identified. At all pH values studied, the primary pathway of degradation was the cleavage of the methoxyl oxygen bond.