Unveiling the degradation of lamotrigine in sulfate radical-mediated oxidation: kinetics, influencing factors and transformation mechanisms

. Detailed transformation pathways were proposed based on quantum chemical calculations and high-resolution mass spectrometry, revealing initial attacks on electron-rich sites of the triazine ring and amino groups, leading to hydroxylated and deaminated products. Both ECOSAR predictions and luminescence bacteria assays showed reduced toxicity for most transformation products relative to LMG, suggesting that degradation of LMG by sulfate radical was a detoxification process. This study demonstrates that heat-activated PDS is an effective strategy for eliminating LMG and attenuating its ecological risk in water.