title: Biodegradation of glycidol and glycidyl nitrate.
abstract: When calcium hydroxide is used to desensitize glycerol trinitrate (nitroglycerine)-containing waste streams, the epoxides glycidol and glycidyl nitrate are formed. The epoxide rings of both compounds are unstable to heat in aqueous solutions, and they open to form glycerol 1-mononitrate and presumably glycerol. These transformations were accelerated by microbial activity. Glycerol 1-mononitrate was slowly denitrated to form glycerol. Glycidol and glycidyl nitrate caused base-pair substitutions in the Ames test for mutagenicity, whereas glycerol 1-mononitrate tests were negative.
authors.affiliation: Environmental Protection Group, U.S. Army Natick Research and Development Laboratories, Natick, Massachusetts 01760.
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Kaplan
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Cornell
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Kaplan