Ph stability of some mutagens produced by aqueous chlorination of organic compounds

Abstract
Aqueous chlorination of many organic substances has been found to produce substantial mutagenicity in Salmonella typhimurium TA100. An effective way to decrease such mutagenicity is to raise the pH of the solutions to neutrality or higher. The effect of pH on the mutagenicity of the filtrate from the chlorination of unbleached kraft wood pulp and of certain mutagens found in such filtrates has been investigated. The decay of mutagenicity of the known mutagens has been shown to proceed by cleavage of organically bound chlorine by hydroxide ion. Caution is recommended with respect to the practice of raising the pH of solutions for mutagenesis assays.

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