These substances have been shown to accumulate in the food chain and to degrade very slowly in the environment. It is necessa ry to have a general understanding of the properties of these molecules before we can understand their behavior in the environment, and before actions can be take to remove them from areas that have been contaminated with organic chemicals.
Organic molecules are substances where carbon is the basic structural component of the molecule.
Molecules that contain only carbon, hydrogen and chlorine are volatile. Organic molecules that contain oxygen are soluble in water than the corresponding hydrocarbon. Organic molecules that contain oxygen are less volatile than the corresponding hydrocarbon. Hydrocarbons that contain a double bond are more reactive than the corresponding saturated hydrocarbon. Hydrocarbons that contain a triple bond are more reactive than the corresponding hydrocarbon with a double bond.