Abstract: | Abstract The fumigant 1,3-dichloropropene (1,3-D) is considered a major replacement to methyl bromide, which is to be phased out of use in the United States by 2005. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate soil–water partitioning of 1,3-D in two California agricultural soils (Salinas clay loam and Arlington sandy loam). The partition coefficients (K d and K f ) were determined by directly measuring the concentration of 1,3-D in the solid phase (C s ) and aqueous phase (C w ) after batch equilibration. In the Salinas clay loam, the K f of cis-1,3-D in adsorption and desorption isotherms was 0.47 and 0.54, respectively, with respective values of 0.39 and 0.49 for trans-1,3-D. This slight hysteric effect suggests that a different range of forces are involved in the adsorption and desorption process. Since n was near unity in the Freundlich equation, the Freundlich isotherms can also be approximated using the liner isotherm. At 25°C, the K d of the 1,3-D isomers in both soils ranged from 0.46 to 0.56, and the K oc (organic matter partition coefficient) ranged from 58 to 70. The relatively low K d values and a K oc that falls within the range of 50–150, suggests that 1,3-D is weakly sorbed and highly mobile in these soils. Understanding the sorption behavior of 1,3-D in soil is important when developing fumigation practices to reduce the movement of 1,3-D to the air and groundwater. |