Polybrominated Diphenyl Ether (PBDE) flame retardants are widely used as additives in polymers for textiles, electronics, and home furnishings. As the use of PBDEs has increased in recent years, their concentrations in the environment have also increased. Theoretical calculations are of interest for estimating the thermodynamic properties of PBDEs. To better understand and describe the environmental fate of PBDEs, studies were performed on the photodegradation of BDE-209 (Deca-BDE) dissolved in various solvents in UV light. The stepwise debromination to form lower brominated diphenyl ethers was observed by GC-high resolution MS. The mechanism of the photodegradation of BDE-209, relative abundance of photodecomposition products, as well as the dependence of photochemical degradation rate on solvent type, is explained by theoretical calculations.
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