Contamination of groundwater, surface water and soil by explosives has occurred at military sites throughout the world as a result of manufacture of explosive compounds, assembly of munitions, and deployment of explosives containing devices. Due to the adverse effects of explosives on humans and other natural receptors, a low cost means of decontaminating these areas of contamination is needed. Base-induced transformation of explosives has shown promise as a rapid, low cost, and minimally resource-intensive technology for detoxifying explosives in soil and water. In order to understand the reaction mechanism, a reaction mixture of 2:1:1 (water:2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT):1 N KOH) was analyzed by UV/VIS spectrometry from 190 to 1,100 nm. Time course measurements were conducted at 25, 20, 15, and 12 degrees C. A factor analysis program was used to analyze the spectral data. Principal component analysis indicated that six principal components explained the spectra to within experimental error, with four factors explaining the majority of the variance. Test spectral vectors for four components were developed, including TNT, two intermediates, and the final product, and were tested against the abstract vectors. Two possible reaction mechanisms were suggested and tested to explain the spectral data.