The influence of UV light (300-450 nm) on the passive and dissolution behavior of copper alloys CA-715 and CDA-614 in dilute chloride-containing solutions was studied. A slight ennoblement in the breakdown potential, an increase in the induction time, and considerably reduced anodic current densities at potentials higher that the initial breakdown potential were observed for the illuminated electrode. These effects were observed regardless of whether the electrodes were illuminated continuously or illuminated only before the polarization scans. and appear to be independent of the wavelength of the incident light in the wavelength region 300 to 450 nm. These findings are explained in terms of a photo-induced modification of the passive film formed on the copper-containing alloys in the dilute chloride solution, which render it more resistant to the onset of attack. This modification is explained in terms of the semiconducting nature of the passive film and the point defect model for the breakdown of passivity. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.