Degradation Of Chlorpyrifos-ethyle By Gamma Radiation ‎

Chlorpyrifos-ethyle is an organophosphorus pesticide causing ‎problems in the central and peripheral nervous system, ‎respiratory system, and the digestive tract of human beings and ‎animals. This study concerns the degradation of chlorpyrifos-‎ethyle dissolved in acetonitrile by exposition to ionizing ‎radiation. The solution was irradiated to absorbed doses varying ‎from 1 to 50kGy, using a 60Co gamma source. The variation of ‎chlorpyrifos-ethyle concentration as a function of absorbed dose ‎was followed by HPLC analyses. The results showed that the ‎chlorpyrifos-ethyle was completely degraded at the dose of ‎‎50kGy. The identification of by-products formed during radiation ‎degradation process of chlorpyrifos-ethyle was made using gas ‎chromatography associated to mass spectrometry (GC-MS). ‎Consequently, three by-products were identified namely: 2-‎hydroxy-3,5,6,- trichloropyridine (TCP), phosphoric acid, diethyl ‎‎3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinyl ester, and 2- furancarboxaldehyde, ‎‎5-(hydroxymethyl). ‎