Assessment of azaarenes and azaarones (oxidized azaarene derivatives) in the Dutch coastal zone of the North Sea

Azaarones (oxidized derivatives of azaarenes) is a group of newly emerging chemical compounds. Little is known about their occurrence in the aquatic environment. Azaarenes are polycyclic aromatic heterocyclic compounds containing one nitrogen atom in one of the aromatic rings. The (photo) oxidized metabolites of the azaarenes are often more toxic than the parent compound. For the first time the concentration of seven azaarenes and seven primary metabolites have been measured in the surface sediments (fraction < 63 μm) of the Dutch coastal zone of the North Sea. Samples collected in 2000 and... Mehr ...