This report describes photochemical behaviors of pyrazosulfuron-ethyl in aqueous solution. The photodegradation of pyrazosulfuron-ethyl for the first time was investigated in aqueous solution at two different irradiation wavelengths and pH values ranging from 2.00 to 10.00. Results show that the rate of photodegradation was faster in acidic medium than that in basic medium, when pyrazosulfuron-ethyl was in neutral form. The half-lives of pyrazosulfuron-ethyl under ultra-violet light and simulated sunlight were found to be 27.17 and 153.33 min, respectively. The reactions followed first-order kinetics. The degradation pathways were proposed according to the identification results of photoproducts: carbon-sulfur and nitrogen-sulfur cleavages and photohydrolysis of the sulfonylurea bridge. It was concluded that photodegradation behaviors can occur within the sulfonylurea family, depending on the pH values of aqueous solution and the irradiation wavelengths.
sulfonylureas; pyrazosulfuron-ethyl; photodegradation
