Question

Pure pools of benzo [a] pyren and p-xylene are found floating in the Groundwater. What concentrations do you expect to find dissolved in the water directly belo the pools (mg/L and mM)? What concentrations do you expect to find in the air above the pools? (mg/L and mM). Compare how two chemicals behave in the environment. Benzo a pyrene MW: 252.32 g/mol; Henry's law constnt= 2.4 x10^-6 atm m^3/mol; Vapor pressure= 5.6 x10^-9 mmHg; Solubility=0.0038 mg/L; Log Koc=5.60-6.29. For p-xylene MW=106.17 g/mol; Henrys constant=0.0063 atm m^3/mol;Vapor pressure=8.763mmHg ; Solubiity =200 mg/L ; Log Koc=2.31

Answer 1

Benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) that is a byproduct of incomplete
combustion or burning of organic (carbon-containing) items, e.g., cigarettes, gasoline, and wood.BaP is a ubiquitous compound in ambient (outdoor) air due to numerous releases from multiple processes, such as metal processing plants, motor vehicle emissions, wood stoves, tar and asphalt fumes, and cigarette smoke. BaP and BaP metabolites can chemically bind to DNA to form BaP-DNA adducts, which may interfere with DNA replication.

The p-xylene liquid defats the skin. The substance may have effects on the central nervous system. Exposure to the substance may enhance hearing damage caused by exposure to noise. Animal tests show that this substance possibly causes toxicity to human reproduction or development.qHTS assay for identifying genotoxic compounds that show differential cytotoxicity against a panel of isogenic chicken DT40 cell lines with known DNA damage response pathways.

The degree to which a compound partitions into the vapor phase is described by that compound