Sonophotocatalytic behavior of cerium doped salts of Cu(II), Co(II) and Mn(II) in the degradation of phenol

Abstract

Crystals of CuSO₄.5H₂O, CoCl₂.6H₂O, and MnCl₂.4H₂O doped with CeCl₃ under sonicated and unsonicated conditions have been synthesized. The crystals synthesized under sonicated conditions are different than those synthesized under unsonicated conditions with respect to shape, size, and color. The crystal composition has been estimated by atomic absorption spectrophotometry with graphite furnace and UV-visible spectrophotometer. Higher percentage of Cu(II), Mn(II) and Ce(III) in the crystals synthesized under sonication as compared to the unsonicated crystals may be attributed to the change in the composition of the lattice pattern due to the mechanical impact of ultrasound, whereas such an effect has not been found in the Co(II) salts. Enhanced sonophotocatalytic effect of these crystals on the degradation of phenol under sonic conditions is attributed to the increased number of unpaired electron following free radical mechanism.