ABSTRACT

CASRN: 78-30-8; DOT: 2574; DOT label: Poison; molecular formula: C21H21O4P; FW: 368.37; RTECS: TD0350000; Merck Index: 12, 9893 Physical state, color, and odor: Colorless to pale yellow, odorless to faint aromatic-like liquid Melting point (°C): 11 (Weast, 1986) Boiling point (°C): 410 (Weast, 1986) 420 (quoted, Verschueren, 1983) Density (g/cm3): 1.180 at 26.5 °C, 1.179 at 30.1 °C, 1.178 at 34.9 °C, 1.177 at 39.7 °C, 1.176 at 43.3 °C, 1.175 at 48.1 °C (Kannan and Kishore, 1999) Diffusivity in water (x 10-5 cm2/sec): 0.61 at 20 °C using method of Hayduk and Laudie (1974) Flash point (°C): 227 (NIOSH, 1997) Bioconcentration factor, log BCF: 2.22 (Pimephales promelas), 2.90 (Alburnus alburnus) (Devillers et al., 1996) Soil organic carbon/water partition coefficient, log Koc: 3.37 using method of Kenaga and Goring (1980) Octanol/water partition coefficient, log Kow: 5.11 (commercial mixture containing tricresyl phosphates-shake flask-GC, Saeger et al., 1979) Solubility in organics: Soluble in acetic acid, alcohol, ether, and toluene (Weast, 1986) Solubility in water (ppm): 0.36 and 0.34 at 20-25 and 25 °C, respectively (mixture containing tricresyl phosphates, column

3.1 at 25 °C for “Pliabrac 521” which contained 36 wt % tricresyl phosphates, column elution

method-GC/MS, Ofstad and Sletten, 1985) 0.008 wt % 20-25 °C (Fordyce and Meyer, 1940) Vapor density: 15.06 g/L at 25 °C, 12.72 (air = 1) Vapor pressure (x 10-6 mmHg): 1.70 at 25 °C (Dobry and Keller, 1957) 0.195 at 50 °C (Carré and Bertrans, 1998) Environmental fate: Biological. A commercial mixture containing tricresyl phosphates was completely degraded by indigenous microbes in Mississippi River water to carbon dioxide. After 4 wk, 82.1% of the theoretical carbon dioxide had evolved (Saeger et al., 1979). Chemical/Physical. Tri-o-cresyl phosphate hydrolyzed rapidly in Lake Ontario water, presumably to di-o-cresyl phosphate (Howard and Doe, 1979). When an aqueous solution containing a mixture of isomers (0.1 mg/L) and chlorine (3 to 1,000 mg/L) was stirred in the dark at 20 °C for 24 h, the benzene ring was substituted with one to three chlorine atoms (Ishikawa and Baba, 1988). Decomposes at temperatures greater than 424 °C (Dobry and Keller, 1957). Exposure limits (mg/m3): NIOSH REL: TWA 0.1, IDLH 40; OSHA PEL: TWA 0.1. Symptoms of exposure: Ingestion may cause gastrointestinal pain, diarrhea, weakness, muscle pain, kidney damage, paralysis, and death (Patnaik, 1992). Toxicity: LC50 (96-h) for bluegill sunfish 150 µg/L, channel catfish 803 µg/L, rainbow trout 260 µg/L, yellow perch 502 µg/L (Johnson and Finley, 1980). Acute oral LD50 for rats 160 mg/kg (quoted, RTECS, 1985). Uses: Plasticizer in lacquers, varnishes, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, nitrocellulose; waterproofing agent; hydraulic fluid and heat exchange medium; fire retardant for plastics; solvent mixtures; synthetic lubricant; gasoline additive to prevent pre-ignition.