Determination of Mechanisms for the Irradiation of N-halamines

Abstract

N-halamines have been shown to be great antimicrobial agents. This is due to the regenerative properties of these molecules. The exposure of N-halamines to UVA radiation (315-400nm) has been shown to decrease the regenerative ability in these molecules. In order to solve this problem the mechanistic pathway must first be explained. By using 1H NMR and DFT calculations, the most probable mechanism for photodegradation will be determined. An intermolecular radical interaction was observed for the molecules of interest. This interaction matched both 1H NMR spectra and DFT calculations, which supports the proposed schemes.