Physico-chemical properties and toxicity of alkylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Hyun Joong Kang, So Young Lee, Jung Hwan Kwon

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    60 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Crude oil and refined petroleum products contain many polycyclic and heterocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, in particular, alkylated PAHs. Although alkylated PAHs are found in significantly higher quantities than their corresponding unsubstituted PAHs, the most studies on the physico-chemical properties and toxicities of these compounds have been conducted on unsubstituted PAHs. In this study, we measured crucial physico-chemical properties (i.e., water solubility, partition coefficients between polydimethylsiloxane and water (KPDMSw), and partition coefficient between liposomes and water (Klipw)) of selected alkylated PAHs, and evaluated their toxicity using the luminescence inhibition of Aliivibrio fischeri and growth inhibition of Raphidocelis subcapitata. In general, the logarithms of these properties for alkylated PAHs showed good linear correlations with log Kow, as did those for unsubstituted PAHs. Changes in molecular symmetry on the introduction of alkyl groups on aromatic ring structure significantly altered water solubility. The inhibition of bacterial luminescence and algal growth by alkylated PAHs can be explained well by the baseline toxicity hypothesis, and good linear relationships between log Kow or log Klipw and log (1/EC50) were found.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)200-207
    Number of pages8
    JournalJournal of hazardous materials
    Volume312
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2016 Jul 15

    Bibliographical note

    Funding Information:
    This research was a part of the project entitled ‘Oil Spill Environmental Impact Assessment and Environmental Restoration (PM57431)’ funded by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries , Korea.

    Publisher Copyright:
    © 2016 Elsevier B.V.

    Keywords

    • Alkylated PAHs
    • Baseline toxicity
    • K
    • K
    • Solubility

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Environmental Engineering
    • Environmental Chemistry
    • Waste Management and Disposal
    • Pollution
    • Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis

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