Photoinduced reaction of environmental chemicals under tropospheric conditions; A critical outline - part 1, reaction in homogeneous phase

An assessment of the effects of environmental chemicals on the quality of the ecosystems necessitates the consideration of appropriate chemical- and toxicological-ecological aspects. In addition, information on the production levels of the chemicals, their use patterns and environmental distribution, and knowledge of their transformation under environmental conditions is important. The behavior of environmental chemicals under abiotic and biotic conditions provides an indication whether they may be long-term accumulated in the environment as anticipated. These studies also allow possible conversion products to be identified. In contrast to biological degradation pathways and conversion processes of environmental chemicals, of which the course is accompanied by very small amounts of energy, sources with inexhaustible capacity and constant intensity are available for abiotic processes. UV-irradiation is the most important manifestation of the largest energy source of our environment, the sun, whose effects are important during the ecological assessments of chemicals. In this paper, recent studies on the degradability of environmental chemicals are summarized. Especially direct and indirect photolysis of important enironmental chemicals are discussed to explain their role during conversion in the troposphere, in soil and aquatic systems.