Fast chromogenic identification of phenolic pollutants via homogeneous oxidation with t-BuOOH in the presence of iron (III) octacarboxyphthalocyanine

•Fe(III)OCPc could catalyze oxidation of various pollutants.•t-BuOOH could activate Fe(III)OCPc catalytic reaction.•Iron–oxygen active species was generated in catalytic process.

An efficient method has been developed for fast chromogenic identification of some phenolic pollutants (phenol, 2-chlorophenol and 1-naphthol) via tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BuOOH) oxidation in the presence of water-soluble iron (III) octacarboxyphthalocyanine complexes (catalyst) and 4-aminoantipyrine (chromogenic reagent). Among them, the chromogenic reaction of 2-chlorophenol could be completed rapidly, just within 6 min. The catalytic mechanism and detailed dye formation process were proposed on the basis of control experiments under different conditions. Potentially, the catalytic system composing of iron (III) octacarboxyphthalocyanine and t-BuOOH is promising for the application in fast chromogenic assay of phenolic pollutants.

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