Near UV quantum yields for rotenone and piperonyl butoxide

Rotenone and piperonyl butoxide (PBO) mixtures, so-called "synergized" rotenone, are invaluable in fisheries management where they are used to protect the habitat of endangered, native species and promote desirable gamefish populations. Continued use of synergized rotenone is threatened by inadequate control of persistence in surface water, especially where drinking water supplies are impacted. The photochemical kinetics of these chemicals were studied in the laboratory with a goal to better understand their fate in natural water. Disappearance quantum yields (phi) were determined in polychromatic light from fluorescent lamps emitting maximally at 350 nm. Rotenone, PBO and trifluralin, an actinometer, were irradiated as aqueous solutions at 25 or 50 microg L(-1) and the piscicides were determined by electrospray-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (ESI-LC-MS). In the photoreactor rotenone and PBO photodegraded with first-order half-lives of 500 and 220 min, respectively, and corresponding quantum yields of 0.00015 and 0.034. Rotenone absorbs sunlight strongly, while PRO does not. Differences in spectal overlap tended to counteract the disparities in phi and, in general, mathematical modeling indicates moderately rapid direct photolysis rates for both substances in surface water.