title: Stability of dioctyl sulfosuccinate (DOSS) towards hydrolysis and photodegradation under simulated solar conditions.
abstract: Dioctyl sulfosuccinate (DOSS) is one of the main components of Corexit® EC9500A, a chemical dispersant formulation used at the surface and at depth during the response to the Deepwater Horizon incident. Despite being a high volume use chemical, data on its environmental stability are scarce. Hydrolysis and photodegradation of DOSS in both pure water and seawater were reported in the present study. DOSS photodegraded much faster under ultraviolet light source (254 nm, with half-life in hours) compared to relevant environmental light sources i.e., 350 nm and solar simulator (with half-lives in days). LC/MS-MS analysis of hydrolysis and photo-irradiated samples showed the presence of a common degradation product. MS/MS fragmentation of that product indicated a substitution of an octyl group by a hydroxyl group with a corresponding formula of C12H21O7S, which was confirmed by HRMS detection (Q-TOF, m/z 309.1017, +1.29 ppm).
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA; Southeast Environmental Research Center, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA. Electronic address: sbatc001@fiu.edu.
authors.forename: Sudha Rani
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Batchu
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA; Southeast Environmental Research Center, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA. Electronic address: crami023@fiu.edu.
authors.forename: Cesar E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Ramirez
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA; Southeast Environmental Research Center, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA. Electronic address: gardinal@fiu.edu.
authors.forename: Piero R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Gardinali
mesh_terms: D004143:Dioctyl Sulfosuccinic Acid / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D006868:Hydrolysis; D008956:Models, Chemical; D010782:Photolysis; D012623:Seawater / Q000737:chemistry; D013472:Sunlight; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D014867:Water; D004143:Dioctyl Sulfosuccinic Acid
keywords: Corexit components; Deepwater Horizon; Dioctyl sulfosuccinate (DOSS); Gulf oil spill; Hydrolysis; Photodegradation