DETERMINATION OF THE EXPLOSIVE 2,4,6-TRINITROPHENYLMETHYLNITRAMINE (TETRYL) AND ITS TRANSFORMATION PRODUCTS IN SOIL

Soils amended with uniformly ring-labeled [C-14]-2,4,6-trinitrophenylmethylnitramine (tetryl) were subjected to exhaustive Soxhlet extraction followed by high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis immediately after amendment and at 11, 30, and 60 days post-amendment. Transformation of tetryl was found to be extremely rapid. Tetryl was below the detection limit in soil extracts by 30 days post-amendment. Radiochromatographic profiles revealed the presence of a variety of transformation products. The primary transformation product appeared in soil extracts immediately after amendment and was subsequently identified as N-methyl-2,4,6-trinitroaniline. A minor transformation pathway was identified that involved direct ring nitro reduction.of tetryl, resulting in the production of an aminodinitrophenylmethylnitramine isomer. The mass balance of the soil system was greater than 79% over the 60-day study, with 43% of the amended radiolabeled found to be non-extractable at the conclusion of the study.