CAS number
- 129-00-0
Molecular formula
- C16H10
Formula weight
- 202.3 g/mol
Family
- Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH)
Compound properties list|
| Melting/boiling point | 152 °C | Solid |
| Relative density | 1.27 g/cm3 | Sinks in water |
| Vapour pressure | 1 x 10 -5 mm Hg | Very low volatility |
| Vapour density | 0 | N/A |
| Solubility in water | 0.1 mg/L | Very low solubility |
| Henry's law constant | 1 x 10-5 atm·m3/mol | Slow volatilization when dissolved |
| log Koc (Depending on soil or sediment characteristics) | 4.7 - 6.5* | Very strong adsorption to organic matter |
At 20 0C, pyrene is a solid with very low volatility. Characterized by its very low
solubility, it will slowly volatilize once dissolved and adsorbs very strongly to organic matter.
When present in soil, this compound will undergo light volatilization and solubilize very slowly.
Once dissolved, it will either enter into the groundwater table or migrate towards a waterway, where
it will be diluted before slowly volatilizing. Fragments of pyrene can also be carried into a
waterway and deposited at the bottom where they will very slowly dissolve. Once the source has been
removed, the adsorbed pyrene will take a very long time to disappear, being released in its gaseous
or dissolved forms. The resulting plumes (gaseous or dissolved) will be relatively small in size.
Pyrene should be handled with care, as it is toxic.
Pyrene is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH). PAHs are a group of organic compounds
that contain two or more benzene rings in their structure. There are more than 100 different PAHs
that generally occur as complex mixtures (example, combustion by-products such as soot). Incomplete
combustion of fuels in engines, during coal coking, or when wood is burning (forest fires, wood
stoves) produces PAHs. PAHs are also constituents of petroleum and coal, and they are more present
in some of their derivatives like tars and asphalt. The wood preservative industry (example, creosote),
aluminum smelters using Soderberg electrodes, and hazardous waste disposal sites are further
contributors of anthropogenic PAHs to the environment.
Pyrene, like most individual PAHs, has very limited or no known uses, except as reagents in
biochemical or cancer research. Pyrene is more likely to be found mixed with other PAHs in
commercial products like coal tar, coal tar pitch, creosote, bitumen and asphalt. Coal tar is used
as a fuel in the steel industry, distilled to give coal tar pitch and creosote, and has been used in
the clinical treatment of skin disorders such as eczema and dermatitis. Coal tar pitch is used
primarily as a binder for aluminum smelting electrodes, but is also used in roofing, surface
coatings and a variety of other applications. Creosote is used to preserve wood for railroad ties,
marine pilings and telephone poles. Some creosote products are also used as a fuel by steel
production. Bitumen and asphalt are used for paving roads, for sound- and water-proofing, and
coating pipes.
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). 1995. Toxicological
Profile for Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs). U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, Public Health Service, Georgia, USA.
(Viewed December 2013)
Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment. 1999. Canadian Water Quality Guidelines for
the Protection of Aquatic Life: Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs). In: Canadian
Environmental Quality Guidelines. Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment, Manitoba,
Canada. (Viewed December 2013).
Montgomery, John H. 2007. Groundwater Chemicals, Desk Reference, Fourth Edition, CRC
Press, Taylor and Francis Group, Florida, USA.
National Toxicology Program. 2005. Report on Carcinogens, Twelfth Edition: Substance Profile of
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health
Services, USA.(PDF, 256KB) (Viewed December 2013)
