A comparative study was constructed to correlate the electronic property of the substituents with the degradation rates of phenolic compounds and their oxidation pathways under UV with Ag+/TiO2 suspensions. It was verified that a weak electron withdrawing substituent benefited photocatalytic oxidation the most, while an adverse impact appeared when a substituent was present with stronger electron donating or withdrawing ability. The addition of p-benzoquinone dramatically blocked the degradation, confirming superoxide radicals (O-center dot(2)-) as the dominant photooxidant, rather than hydroxyl radicals, singlet oxygen or positive holes, which was also independent of the substituent. Hammett relationship was established based on pseudo-first-order reaction kinetics, and it revealed two disparate reaction patterns between center dot O-2(-) and phenolic compounds, which was further verified by the quantum chemical computation on the frontier molecular orbitals and Mulliken charge distributions of center dot O-2(-) and phenolic compounds. It was found that electron donating group (EDG) substituted phenols were more likely nucleophilically attacked by center dot O-2(-), while center dot O-2(-) preferred to electrophilically assault electron withdrawing group (EWG) substituted phenols. Exceptionally, electrophilic and nucleophilic attack by center dot O-2(-) could simultaneously occur in p-chlorophenol degradation, consequently leading to its highest rate constant. Possible reactive positions on the phenolic compounds were also detailedly uncovered. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.