Title: indirect photolysis
Long Title: IUPAC Gold Book - indirect photolysis
DOI: 10.1351/goldbook.14758
Status: current

Definition
Degradation of a contaminant through interaction with other molecules in solution that have absorbed light energy. This can occur through energy transfer or by chemical reaction with short-lived reactive species.

Note
Dissolved humic and fulvic acids are good examples of photoactive compounds that can increase the degradation of contaminants through indirect photolysis.

Related Terms
- contaminant: https://goldbook.iupac.org//terms/view/14549
- fulvic acids: https://goldbook.iupac.org//terms/view/14703

Source
- PAC, 2009, 81, 829. 'Glossary of terms used in ecotoxicology (IUPAC Recommendations 2009)' on page 900 (https://doi.org/10.1351/PAC-REC-08-07-09)

Other Outputs
- html: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/14758/html
- json: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/14758/json
- xml: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/14758/xml

Citation: Citation: 'indirect photolysis' in IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 5th ed. International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry; 2025. Online version 5.0.0, 2025. 10.1351/goldbook.14758
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Disclaimer: The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) is continuously reviewing and, where needed, updating terms in the Compendium of Chemical Terminology (the IUPAC Gold Book). Users of these terms are encouraged to include the version of a term with its use and to check regularly for updates to term definitions that you are using.
Accessed: 2026-04-20T16:46:02+00:00