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Title: Octanol/air partitioning of polychlorinated biphenyls

Journal Article · · Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
;  [1]
  1. Univ. of Bayreuth (Germany). Ecological Chemistry and Geochemistry

The partitioning of 16 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) between air and 1-octanol was investigated using a fugacity meter. The measurements were conducted over an environmentally relevant temperature range (10--43 C). For a given congener the measured 1-octanol/air partition coefficient K{sub OA} was exponentially proportional to the reciprocal temperature. The enthalpy of phase change (octanol to air) {Delta}H{sub OA} ranged from 71 to 93 kJ/mol. Up to log K{sub OA} values of 9.37 (corresponding to 2,2{prime},3,4{prime},5{prime},6-hexachlorobiphenyl), the enthalpy of phase change was similar to the enthalpy of vaporization of the subcooled liquid PCB. For the less volatile congeners (log K{sub OA} > 9.37), the enthalpies of vaporization exceeded the enthalpies of phase change, the difference increasing with increasing log K{sub OA}. Solubilities of the PCBs in 1-octanol were calculated from the data, and the results were in excellent agreement with octanol solubilities calculated using the OCTASOL fragment method. A very good correlation between the measured octanol/air partition coefficients and values calculated from octanol/water and air/water partition coefficients was obtained. This yielded a method to estimate reliably the octanol/air partitioning of all PCB congeners.

Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
OSTI ID:
561947
Journal Information:
Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Vol. 16, Issue 12; Other Information: PBD: Dec 1997
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English