title: Detoxification of hexachlorobenzene by dechlorination with potassium-sodium alloy.
abstract: Dechlorination of hexachlorobenzene (HCB) was achieved by a liquid potassium-sodium (K-Na)-alloy. HCB in a cyclohexane/benzene solution (22 mmol/l, 4.67 g/l as chlorine) was dechlorinated by almost 100% after a 30-min reaction, indicating high reactivity of K-Na alloy and high proton donating power of cyclohexane. Decreasing orders of chlorobenzenes identified after a 15-min reaction, by amount were 1,2,3,4->1,2,3,5->1,2,4,5- for tetrachlorobenzenes, 1,2,4->1,2,3->1,3,5- for trichlorobenzenes, and 1,4->1,3->1,2- for dichlorobenzenes. It was hypothesized that once one chlorine atom in HCB was replaced with a proton, the adjacent chlorine atom to the proton tended to be replaced with another hydrogen atom. A total of 63 PCBs formed via the Wurtz-Fittig reaction were identified as by-products in the sample after a 15-min reaction. Among PCBs found, 2,3',4',5-tetrachlorobiphenyl, which was a product from 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene formed via the Wurtz-Fittig reaction, was detected in relatively high concentration (48.9 nmol/ml). The sample obtained from a reaction mixture after 30 min contained only 14 PCBs in trace amounts, indicating that the PCBs formed were also further dechlorinated by K-Na alloy. Non-chlorinated compounds--such as methylbenzene, dimethylbenzene, dimer of tetrahydrofuran, and dicyclohexyl (dimer of cyclohexane)--were also identified in the samples. A method using K-Na alloy developed in the present study dechlorinated satisfactorily HCB at room temperature.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Applied Biochemistry, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0006, Japan.
authors.forename: Kumiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Miyoshi
authors.forename: Takehiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nishio
authors.forename: Akio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yasuhara
authors.forename: Masatoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Morita
authors.forename: Takayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shibamoto
mesh_terms: D000497:Alloys / Q000737:chemistry*; D002712:Chlorides; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006581:Hexachlorobenzene / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000633:toxicity; D007700:Kinetics; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000032:analysis; D011188:Potassium / Q000737:chemistry*; D012964:Sodium / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000497:Alloys; D002712:Chlorides; D006581:Hexachlorobenzene; D012964:Sodium; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls; D011188:Potassium