Increasing worldwide contamination with organic chemical compounds is a paramount environmental challenge facing humanity. Once they enter nature, pollutants undergo transformative processes that critically shape their environmental impacts and associated risks. This research unveils previously overlooked yet widespread pathways for the transformations of organic pollutants triggered by water vapor condensation, leading to spontaneous oxidation and hydrolysis of organic pollutants. These transformations exhibit variability through either sequential or parallel hydrolysis and oxidation, contingent upon the functional groups within the organic pollutants. For instance, acetylsalicylic acid on the goethite surface underwent sequential hydrolysis and oxidation that first hydrolyzed to salicylic acid followed by hydroxylation oxidation of the benzene moiety driven by the hydroxyl radical (^•OH). In contrast, chloramphenicol underwent parallel oxidation and hydrolysis, forming hydroxylated chloramphenicol and 2-amino-1-(4-nitrophenyl)-1,3-propanediol, respectively. The spontaneous oxidation and hydrolysis occurred consistently on three naturally abundant iron minerals with the key factors being ^•OH production capacity and surface binding strength. Given the widespread presence of iron minerals on Earth’s surface, these spontaneous transformation paths could play a role in the fate and risks of organic pollutants of health concerns.

中文翻译：

---

水蒸气冷凝引发铁矿物表面有机污染物同时氧化和水解


全球有机化合物污染的增加是人类面临的首要环境挑战。一旦进入自然界，污染物就会经历转变过程，从而严重影响其环境影响和相关风险。这项研究揭示了以前被忽视但广泛存在的由水蒸气冷凝引发的有机污染物转化的途径，导致有机污染物的自发氧化和水解。这些转化通过顺序或并行水解和氧化表现出可变性，具体取决于有机污染物内的官能团。例如，针铁矿表面的乙酰水杨酸经历连续的水解和氧化，首先水解为水杨酸，然后在羟基自由基（ ^• OH）驱动下苯部分发生羟基化氧化。相反，氯霉素经历平行的氧化和水解，分别形成羟基化氯霉素和2-氨基-1-(4-硝基苯基)-1,3-丙二醇。三种天然丰富的铁矿物一致发生自发氧化和水解，关键因素是 ^• OH 生产能力和表面结合强度。鉴于铁矿物在地球表面的广泛存在，这些自发转化路径可能会影响健康问题有机污染物的命运和风险。