Determination of octanol-water partition coefficients for the major components of technical chlordane

Data obtained from the measurement of physicochemical properties for contaminant chemicals can be used to help understand the fate and distribution of such chemicals in the environment. Parameters such as aqueous solubility, vapor pressure and various partition coefficients have been incorporated into quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSARs) which can be used to predict the toxicity or environmental persistence of a given chemical. In particular, the octanol-water partition coefficient (K sub(OW)) has been shown to correlate strongly with the bioconcentration factor (BCF) for many different hydrophobic organic compounds, and has been used for the prediction of LC50 values in several organisms. K sub(OW) can also be used to describe sorption of pollutants to sediment if the organic carbon content of the sediment is known. Hence K sub(OW) values are useful tools for determining appropriate sediment quality criteria.