Atmospheric Fate of a New Polyfluoroalkyl Building Block, C3F7OCHFCF2SCH2CH2OH

Many per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been regulated or phased-out of usage due to concerns about persistence, bioaccumulation potential, and toxicity. We investigated the atmospheric fate of a new polyfluorinated alcohol 2-(1,1,2-trifluoro-2-heptafluoropropyloxy-ethylsulfanyl)-ethano...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental science & technology 2022-05, Vol.56 (10), p.6027-6035
Main Authors: Joudan, Shira, Orlando, John J., Tyndall, Geoffrey S., Furlani, Teles C., Young, Cora J., Mabury, Scott A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aldehydes
Anthropogenic Impacts on the Atmosphere
Bioaccumulation
Chambers
Chlorine
Ethanol
Free radicals
Hydroxyl radicals
Kinetics
Liquid chromatography
Mass spectrometry
Mass spectroscopy
Oxidation
Perfluoroalkyl & polyfluoroalkyl substances
Perfluorochemicals
Polytetrafluoroethylene
Rate constants
Reaction kinetics
Stainless steels
Sulfur dioxide
Toxicity
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Many per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been regulated or phased-out of usage due to concerns about persistence, bioaccumulation potential, and toxicity. We investigated the atmospheric fate of a new polyfluorinated alcohol 2-(1,1,2-trifluoro-2-heptafluoropropyloxy-ethylsulfanyl)-ethanol (C3F7OCHFCF2SCH2CH2OH, abbreviated FESOH) by assessing the kinetics and products of the gas-phase reaction of FESOH with chlorine atoms and hydroxyl radicals. Experiments performed in a stainless-steel chamber interfaced to an FTIR were used to determine reaction kinetics and gas-phase products. We report reaction rate constants of k(Cl + FESOH) = (1.5 ± 0.6) × 10–11 cm3 molecule–1 s–1 and k(OH + FESOH) = (4.2 ± 2.0) × 10–12 cm3 molecule–1 s–1. This leads to a calculated FESOH gas-phase lifetime of 2.8 ± 1.3 days with respect to reaction with OH, assuming [OH] = 106 molecule1 cm–3. Gas-phase products of FESOH oxidation included at least two aldehydes, likely C3F7OCHFCF2SCH2C­(O)H and C3F7OCHFCF2SC­(O)­H, and secondary products including COF2, SO2 and C3F7OC­(O)­F. Additional gas-phase experiments performed in a Teflon chamber were used to assess aqueous products by collecting gaseous samples offline into an aqueous sink prior to analysis with ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, resulting in four acidic products: C3F7OCHFCF2SCH2C­(O)­OH, C3F7OCHFCF2S­(O)­(O)­OH, C3F7OCHFC­(O)­OH, and perfluoropropanoic acid (C2F5C­(O)­OH).
ISSN:0013-936X
1520-5851
DOI:10.1021/acs.est.0c07584