Ametryne degradation by ionizing radiation

Ametryne may be released to the environment during its manufacture, transport, storage, formulation and use as selective herbicide for the control of annual broadleaf and grass weeds. It is applied as an aqueous suspension for preemergence or post-directed applications on crops. Depending on the pesticide formulation and type of application, ametryne residues may be detectable in water, soil and on the surfaces for months or years. The herbicide used to this study was Ametryne (commercial name, Gesapax 500), commonly used on field crops and on corn and commercialized since 1975. Ametryne was analyzed by gas chromatography (GC Shimadzu 17A), after extraction with hexane/dichloromethane (1:1 v/v) solution. The calibration curve was obtained with a regression coefficient of 0.9871. In addition, the relative standard deviation was lower than 10%. The radiation-processing yield was evaluated by the destruction G-value (Gd) (Eq. 1), that is defined by the number of destroyed molecules by absorption of 100 eV of energy from ionizing radiation. Different concentrations of the herbicide (11.4 mol L-1; 22.7 mol L-1; 34.1 mol L-1 and 45.5 mol L-1) were irradiated at the AECL 'Gammacell 220' 60Co source, with 1 kGy, 3 kGy, 6 kGy, 9 kGy, 12 kGy, 15 kGy and 30 kGy absorbed doses. After irradiation processing, the ametryne highest reduction rate occurs at low doses of radiation: at 6 kGy more than 85-90% of all ametryne compounds were removed. Two products of incomplete degradation of ametryne were identified as s-triazyne isomers. However, further work is needed in order to fully understand the ametryne degradation mechanisms the degradation yield of ametryne depends on its initial concentration and the process seems to be more efficient at higher concentrations. (author)