Abstract:To investigate the irradiation degradation effect and mechanism of sodium benzoate in aqueous solution, this experiment studied the degradation patterns of sodium benzoate solutions at different concentrations (0.5, 1, 3, 5, 7 mmoL·L-1) under varying irradiation doses (1, 3, 5, 7, 9 kGy). The degradation behavior of sodium benzoate was analyzed using GC and degradation kinetics, while quantum chemical calculations were employed to elucidate its irradiation degradation mechanism. Finally, bacterial experiments were conducted to examine the impact of irradiation treatment on the antibacterial capacity of sodium benzoate. The results showed that the degradation rate of sodium benzoate at experimental concentrations gradually increased with higher irradiation doses, reaching nearly 100% at lower concentrations. The irradiation degradation of sodium benzoate followed first-order kinetics. Trace amounts of phenol were generated after irradiation of high-concentration sodium benzoate solutions. Under irradiation, sodium benzoate reacts with hydroxyl radicals to form degradation products, with a free energy activation barrier of 11.3 kcal·mol-1 and an exothermic release of 17.2 kcal·mol-1 during the reaction process. The antibacterial capacity of sodium benzoate exhibited a gradual decline with increasing irradiation doses. In conclusion, both the irradiation dose and the initial concentration of the sample have a certain impact on the degradation rate of sodium benzoate, the post-degradation phenol content, and the antimicrobial activity. When using sodium benzoate, an appropriate concentration can be selected within the permissible limit (6.94 mmol·L-1) without compromising its effectiveness, and a suitable irradiation dose can be chosen based on the applied concentration. This study provides a theoretical foundation for understanding the patterns and mechanisms of sodium benzoate degradation under irradiation.