Radiation
It is known that by gamma irradiation of PCBs that they can be converted into biphenyl and inorganic chloride, this is formally a reduction of the organic compound as hydrogen is added. See the Polychlorinated biphenyl page for more details of this destruction method. This reductive destruction method works for many organochlorine compounds, for instance carbon tetrachloride when irradiated tends to form chloroform and chloride anions.
Read more about this topic: Reductive Dechlorination
Famous quotes containing the word radiation:
“There are no accidents, only nature throwing her weight around. Even the bomb merely releases energy that nature has put there. Nuclear war would be just a spark in the grandeur of space. Nor can radiation “alter” nature: she will absorb it all. After the bomb, nature will pick up the cards we have spilled, shuffle them, and begin her game again.”
—Camille Paglia (b. 1947)