Is BDE-175 an important enough component of commercial octabromodiphenyl ether mixtures to be listed in Annex A of the Stockholm Convention?

Commercial octabromodiphenyl ether mixtures, containing hexabromodiphenyl ethers and heptabromodiphenyl ethers were listed in Annex A of the Stockholm Convention on May 2009 (Fourth Conference of the Parties) (UNEP, 2009a). Four compounds are specifically mentioned: 2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-153), 2,2',4,4',5,6'-hexabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-154), 2,2',3,3',4,5',6-heptabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-175), and 2,2',3,4,4',5',6-heptabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-183). Presumably they were identified as key components of commercial mixtures and found to be present in environmental samples.

Electrolytic debromination of PBDEs in DE-83 technical decabromodiphenyl ether.

Electrochemical debromination of the commercial decabromodiphenyl ether flame retardant DE-83 in partly aqueous tetrahydrofuran (THF) solution gave lower brominated congeners by sequential loss of bromine atoms. Hydrodebromination was most facile for the most heavily brominated congeners. It involves initial electron transfer and proton transfer from water, rather than hydrogen atom abstraction from THF, as shown by experiments with deuterated water.

Identification of the minor components of Great Lakes DE-71 technical mix by means of 1H NMR and GC/MS.

The production of technical penta-BDE products such as Great Lakes DE-71 is not a clean process but, instead, gives complex mixtures of various BDE congeners. This study reports the verification of the structures of many of the BDE congeners in Great Lakes DE-71 using (1)H NMR and/or GC/MS. In total, 24 BDE congeners, including nine (tetra-BDEs 42, 48, 51, and 91; penta-BDEs 102, 104, and 119; hexa-BDEs 149 and 155) which had not been reported previously, were identified in this technical mix by (1)H NMR.

Synthesis of the two minor isomers, delta- and epsilon-1,2,5,6,9,10-hexabromocyclododecane, present in commercial hexabromocyclododecane.

Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) is prepared commercially by bromination of cis,trans,trans-cyclododecatriene (ctt-CDT) and widely used as a flame retardant, particularly in polystyrene foams. Commercial HBCD consists largely of three diastereomers, alpha-, beta-, and gamma-HBCD, the structures of which have been known for many years. Recently, the presence in the mixture of small amounts of two minor diastereomers, delta- and epsilon-HBCD, has been reported.

Catalytic and electrocatalytic hydrogenolysis of brominated diphenyl ethers.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are ubiquitous environmental contaminants due to their use as additive flame-retardants. Conventional catalytic hydrogenolysis in methanol solution and electrocatalytic hydrogenolysis in aqueous methanol were examined as methods for debrominating mono- and di-bromodiphenyl ethers, as well as a commercial penta-PBDE mixture, in each case using palladium on alumina as the catalyst. Electrocatalytic hydrogenolysis employed a divided flow-through batch cell, with reticulated vitreous carbon cathodes and IrO2/Ti dimensionally stable anodes.

Photochemical mass balance of 2,3,7,8-TeCDD in aqueous solution under UV light shows formation of chlorinated dihydroxybiphenyls, phenoxyphenols, and dechlorination products.

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) are a class of halogenated diaryl compounds that are environmentally important because of their high toxicity and bioaccumulatory properties. There is an incomplete understanding of their photochemistry because the majority of photoproducts, as indicated by incomplete mass balances, have not been identified. We studied the photochemical transformation of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (2,3,7,8-TeCDD) in aqueous solution using 302 nm light.