A short comment on the direct and indirect photolysis of toxaphene under tropospheric conditions

Toxaphene as a pesticide occurs in significant concentrations in the troposphere. Therein, the main substances of the technical toxaphene can be converted or degraded through direct as well as indirect photolysis. The results herein show clearly that about 70% toxaphene components of a technical mixture are converted fast (t_1/2 = 0.242 days) via direct photolysis. On the other hand, the half-life of compounds converted only by indirect photolysis (the other 30% of the technical mixture) amounts to 66 days, evidencing that direct photolysis contributes significantly more to the conversion of toxaphene components.