Volatilization, organophosphorus

Pyrethroids generally have low vapor pressures. Although empenthrin (20) volatilizes at room temperature without external energy and is 31 times more volatile than allethrin, its vapor pressure is only 1/88 that of dichlorvos, a volatile organophosphorus compound. As profluthrin (40) is 13 times more volatile than allethrin and volatilizes gradually for 6 months to 1 year at room temperature, it is suitable as an insecticide for the protection of clothes. The vapor pressure of profluthrin is 10 mPa/25°C, almost the same as that of glycerin. 

K. Kampke-Thiel, et al., Isolation, characterization, and toxicological aspects of volatile organophosphorus compounds from the combustion of flame-retarded epoxy resins with phosphonate substructures. Chem. Eur. J. 1998, 4(8), 1581-1586. 

Controlled-release solid formulations of selected volatile organophosphorus pesticides (malathion, DDVP, sumithion, chlorpyriphos, and sulprofos) were studied by Szente [33]. These solid formulations exhibited negligible vapor pressure and preserved their entrapped pesticide content even at elevated temperature. Malathion and chlorpyriphos formulations showed increased physical stability, and resulted in an effective masking of the unpleasant smell while the complex formulations existed as dry solid. Sulfluramid is an expensive insecticide that is lost by volatilization, but complexation to j8-CyD reduced the loss [21]. 

Selective Condensation of Vaporized Organophosphorus Ligand. Certain phosphorus ligands have sufficient volatility that portions may be volatilized when aldehyde and higher boiling aldehyde condensation byproducts are separated from the catalyst solution in, for example, a liquid recycle vaporizer. The phosphorus ligand may be condensed, recovered and returned to the catalyst solution [35] according to the procedure disclosed in US 5,110,990. 

Despite the advantages, there is concern over the use of such containment methods because the fate of pesticides put into such sites is not well known ( 1 ). One such fate process is volatilization from the disposal site. Organophosphorus pesticide volatilization from water and soil is relatively unlnvestlgated, and if this route of loss occurs to an appreciable extent from disposal sites, a local respiratory hazard may exist. 

In this paper, the volatilization of five organophosphorus pesticides from model soil pits and evaporation ponds is measured and predicted. A simple environmental chamber is used to obtain volatilization measurements. The use of the two-film model for predicting volatilization rates of organics from water is illustrated, and agreement between experimental and predicted rate constants is evaluated. Comparative volatilization studies are described using model water, soil-water, and soil disposal systems, and the results are compared to predictions of EXAMS, a popular computer code for predicting the fate of organics in aquatic systems. Finally, the experimental effect of Triton X-100, an emulsifier, on pesticide volatilization from water is presented. 

Five organophosphorus pesticides were chosen that could be iso-thermally and simultaneously analyzed by gas chromatography using an N-P TSD detector. They are all currently commercially used and exhibit a wide range of physicochemical properties (Table I). Also influencing the choice of these pesticides was the fact that volatilization data measured from soil and water under controlled laboratory conditions are scarce for methyl parathion, parathion, and diazinon (14-17), and are not available for malathion and mevinphos. Technical mevinphos (60% E-isomer, Shell Development Co.), diazinon (87.2%, Ciba-Geigy Corp.), and malathion (93.3%, American Cyanamld), and analytical grade methyl parathion (99%, Monsanto) and parathion (98%, Stauffer Chemical Co.) were used. 

Figure 2. Experimentally determined and EXAMS predicted percents volatilized (in one day) for five organophosphorus pesticides incorporated into water, water-soil, and soil systems. Computer predictions are not shown for mevinphos or for dry soil.

Table VI. Percent Volatilization of Five Organophosphorus Pesticides in the Presence and Absence of Triton X-100...

The organophosphorus ester dichlorvos is sufficiently volatile to be incorporated either in permeable plastic bottles or plastic strips which permit its controlled release for fumigation of cupboards and closets to control cockroaches, or as flea collars on pets. 

The RMBC assessed its regional public-health priorities and developed the following nine demonstration projects on the basis of the needs of the community possible correlation of exposure to arsenic in drinking water and type 2 diabetes, a spot blood metals-analysis feasibility study, health-clinic samples for chemical-terrorism baselines, of relationship between urine arsenic and metal concentrations and drinking-water exposure, assessment of exposure to VOCs from subsurface volatilization, cotinine concentrations associated with environmental tobacco smoke, assessment of exposure to mercury from ingestion of fish, analysis of radionuclides in urine, and biomonitoring of organophosphorus pesticides in urine (Utah Department of Health 2006). 

The maximum flame temperatures of polymers to which P-containing flame retardants have been added are normally lower than those of unmodified polymers. The low LOI values (18-26%) of the volatile low molecular weight organophosphorus compounds (phosphates, phosphonates, phosphites) indicate their insufficient activity in the gas phase... 

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