Degradation of organophosphorus compounds by X-ray irradiation

The degradation of organophosphorus pesticide diazinon in aqueous media with a white X-ray beam from a conventional X-ray source was studied. The concentration of the pesticide in the solution (40 mgdm(-3)) decreases exponentially with the exposure time, i.e. with the absorbed dose: 50% degradation is obtained at the dose of about 160 Gy. The compounds detected in the irradiation samples suggest that diazinon is converted mainly into 2-isopropyl-4-methyl-6-hydroxypyrimidine, which is also its main hydrolysis product. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.