ABSTRACT
Chapter 2 was concerned with processes that determine the distribution of chemicals within living organisms and the relationship between distribution and toxicity. The importance of properties of chemicals in determining their fate within living organisms was given emphasis. Polarity, molecular size, the presence of functional groups, and molecular stability were all seen to inuence toxicokinetic processes. The types of enzymes responsible for biotransformations were related to the structures of the chemicals undergoing biotransformation (e.g., esterases for esters, reductases for nitro compounds, monooxygenases for aromatic hydrocarbons, etc.). This chapter will consider the wider question of how the properties of chemicals determine their fate in the gross environment, and how these properties can be incorporated into descriptive and predictive models relating to the movement and distribution of environmental chemicals.
