Br-to-Cl Transformation Guided the Formation of Polyhalogenated Dibenzo-p-dioxins/Dibenzofurans

Abstract

Polyhalogenated dibenzo-p-dioxins/dibenzofurans (PXDD/Fs) are commonly released into the environment as byproducts of combustion processes, accompanied by flue gases. Chlorinated (Cl) and brominated (Br) precursors play crucial roles in forming PXDD/Fs. However, the specific contributions of Clprecursors and Br-precursors to PXDD/Fs formation have not been fully elucidated. Herein, we demonstrate that the formation of Br-precursors can increase the fraction of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) congeners substituted at specific positions, such as 1,