Atmospheric lifetime of fluorotelomer alcohols

D A Ellis; J W Martin; S A Mabury; M D Hurley; M P Sulbaek Andersen; T J Wallington

doi:10.1021/es034136j

Atmospheric lifetime of fluorotelomer alcohols

Environ Sci Technol. 2003 Sep 1;37(17):3816-20. doi: 10.1021/es034136j.

Authors

D A Ellis¹, J W Martin, S A Mabury, M D Hurley, M P Sulbaek Andersen, T J Wallington

Affiliation

¹ Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, 80 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3H6.

PMID: 12967100
DOI: 10.1021/es034136j

Abstract

Relative rate techniques were used to study the kinetics of the reactions of Cl atoms and OH radicals with a series of fluorotelomer alcohols, F(CF2CF2)nCH2CH2OH (n = 2, 3, 4), in 700 Torr of N2 or air, diluent at 296 +/- 2K. The length of the F(CF2CF2)n- group had no discernible impact on the reactivity of the molecule. For n = 2, 3, or 4, k(Cl + F(CF2CF2)nCH2CH2OH) = (1.61 +/- 0.49) x 10(-11) and k(OH + F(CF2CF2)nCH2CH2OH) = (1.07 +/- 0.22) x 10(-12) cm3 molecule(-1) s(-1). Consideration of the likely rates of other possible atmospheric loss mechanisms leads to the conclusion that the atmospheric lifetime of F(CF2CF2)nCH2CH2OH (n > or = 2) is determined by reaction with OH radicals and is approximately 20 d.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Air Pollutants / analysis*
Alkanesulfonic Acids / analysis*
Alkanesulfonic Acids / chemistry
Fluorocarbons / analysis*
Fluorocarbons / chemistry
Half-Life
Hydroxyl Radical / chemistry
Kinetics
Oxidants / chemistry

Substances

Air Pollutants
Alkanesulfonic Acids
Fluorocarbons
Oxidants
Hydroxyl Radical
perfluorooctane sulfonic acid