Singlet oxygen in surface waters — Part I: Furfuryl alcohol as a trapping agent

The photo-oxygenation of furfuryl alcohol (FFA) in water sensitized by naturally occurring dissolved organic materials under visible light is shown to proceed almost exclusively by a singlet oxygen mechanism. FFA does not physically quench1O2 and its β-value was determined to be(2.3±0.2) × 10−3M (k(1O2+FFA) = 1.2 × 108M−1s−1). It is thus recommended as a highly soluble, efficient trapping agent for1O2 determinations in natural waters.