Reductive dechlorination pathways for substituted benzenes: a correlation with electronic properties

Electronic properties were correlated with observed reductive dechlorination pathways by unacclimated consortia for chlorinated phenols, dihydroxybenzenes, benzoic acids, and anilines. Molecular structures and properties were calculated using the semi-empirical Modified Neglect of Differential Overlap method at the Cornell Supercomputing Facility. Observed preferential positions for reductive dechlorination by unacclimated consortia correlate well with the largest negative value for the carbon-chlorine bond charge. Of 16 dechlorination pathways observed for unacclimated bacteria, the most negative carbon-chlorine bond charge correlated with 15 pathways.This correlation between the observed dechlorination position and the parent compound's electronic properties is consistent with the observed reductive dechlorination of chlorophenols and chlorinated dihydroxybenzenes at the ortho position, and the meta dechlorination of chlorobenzoic acids. Net carbonchlorine bond charges also correlate with the preferred dechlorination position for two of three known chloroaniline pathways, suggesting preferential removal of chlorines from the ortho position of chloroanilines.Abbreviations CA chloroaniline - CBz chlorobenzoic acid - CC chlorocatechol - CP chlorophenol - DCA dichloroaniline - DCBz dichlorobenzoic acid - DCC dichlorocatechol - DCH dichlorohydroquinone - DCP dichlorophenol - DCR dichlororesorcinol - PCP pentachlorophenol - TCA trichloroaniline - TCBz trichlorobenzoic acid - TCC trichlorocatechol - TCH trichlorohydroquinone - TCP trichlorophenol - TCR trichlororesorcinol - TeCA tetrachloroaniline - TeCBz tetrachlorobenzoic acid - TeCC tetrachlorocatechol - TeCH tetrachlorohydroquinone - TeCP tetrachlorophenol - TeCR tetrachlororesorcinol