In this study, we systematically investigated the degradation efficiency and the degradation mechanism of atrazine in the presence of ascorbic acid at different pH values. Although atrazine could be degraded by ascorbic acid in a wide pH range from 4 to 12, its degradation under either acidic (pH <= 4) or alkaline (pH >= 12) condition was more efficient than under neutral condition (pH = 7). This pH dependent atrazine degradation was related to the reactive characteristic of atrazine and the reductive activity of ascorbic acid. The ascorbic acid induced atrazine degradation pathways at different pH were investigated by comparing the atrazine degradation intermediates with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, high performance liquid chromatography and ion chromatography. It was found that more products were detected in presence of ascorbic acid at alkaline condition. The appearance of chloride ions confirmed the dechlorination of atrazine by ascorbic acid in the absence of molecular oxygen, while its dechlorination efficiency reached highest at pH 12. These results can shed light on the application of AA for the organic pollutant remediation. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.