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Environmental fate & pathways

Hydrolysis

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Description of key information

Hydrolysis is a reaction in which a water molecule or hydroxide ion substitutes for another atom or group of atoms present in a chemical resulting in a structural change of that chemical. Potentially hydrolyzable groups include alkyl halides, amides, carbamates, carboxylic acid esters and lactones, epoxides, phosphate esters, and sulfonic acid esters (Neely, 1985). The lack of a suitable leaving group renders compounds resistant to hydrolysis. 

Key value for chemical safety assessment

Additional information

The chemical constituents that comprise the naphtha category consist entirely of carbon and hydrogen and do not contain hydrolyzable groups. As such, they have a very low potential to hydrolyze. Therefore, this degradative process will not contribute to their removal from the environment.