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Vapor pressures, aqueous solubilities, and Henry's law constants of some brominated flame retardants
Author(s) -
Tittlemier Sheryl A.,
Halldorson Thor,
Stern Gary A.,
Tomy Gregg T.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
environmental toxicology and chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1552-8618
pISSN - 0730-7268
DOI - 10.1002/etc.5620210907
Subject(s) - chemistry , henry's law , diphenyl ether , polybrominated diphenyl ethers , bromine , aqueous solution , solubility , environmental chemistry , ether , partition coefficient , organic chemistry , pollutant
The subcooled liquid vapor pressures (P°L,25s) and aqueous solubilities (S w,25 s) were determined and Henry's law constants (H 25 s) were estimated for a number of brominated flame retardants (BFRs) at 25°C. The established methods of the gas chromatography‐retention time and generator column techniques were used to experimentally determine P 0 L,25and S w,25 for hexabromobenzene and a series of brominated diphenyl ether (BDE) congeners. The H 25 was estimated as the ratio of P 0 L,25to the subcooled liquid aqueous solubility. Values of P 0 L,25obtained ranged from 0.282 Pa (BDE‐190) to 0.259 Pa (BDE‐3); S w,25 ranged from 0.87 g/L (BDE‐153 and BDE‐154) to 0.00013 g/L (BDE‐15); and H 25 ranged from 0.0074 Pa m 3 /mol (BDE‐183) to 21 Pa m 3 /mol (BDE‐15). An increase in the bromine content of polybrominated diphenyl ether congeners resulted in significant decreases of P 0 L,25 , S w,25 , and H 25 . A simple four‐compartment equilibrium distribution model suggested that the majority of BFRs being released into the environment would reside in soil and sediment and have localized distributions. The model also suggested that lower brominated congeners tend to be somewhat more mobile. Degradative debromination reactions that yield these congeners would mobilize them environmentally, and ultimately affect the fate and distribution of BFRs.