Current Organic Chemistry, 2013, Vol. 17, No. 24
Editorial 2971
Editorial Recent Advances in Environmental Organic and Bio-Organic Chemistry Environmental chemistry deals with the origins, transport, reactions, effects, and fates of chemical species in water, air, earth, and living environments [1]. In the present special issue a collection of papers concerning environmental organic and bio-organic chemistry is presented. Organic matter (OM) occurs in the environment due to the decomposition of plant, animal and microbial materials in soil and water, thereby producing a wide variety of complex organic substances [2]. Furthermore, OM is also present in the atmosphere due to the volatile organic compounds (VOC) produced by plants [3]. Organic matter in environment is not only due to natural emissions, but also to anthropic activities [4]. In fact, the increasing global food demanding due to the exponential raising of the worldwide population, addressed agriculture towards intensive productions. These fastened deforestation, introduced intense fertilization practices and induced massive use of pesticides, thereby increasing the amount of organic pollutants in all the environmental compartments [5-7]. In addition, contributions to environmental organic pollution are also due to the emission of VOCs such as methane, benzene, toluene, and xylene from industrial processes, domestic solvent uses, road transportation, and fuel combustion [8]. All the aspects of environmental organic and bio-organic chemistry outlined above are included in the present special issue. The introductory paper is from Wilson [9] who reviewed the role of agriculture and industry in the environmental contamination. Following, Fernandez-Bayo et al. [10] dealt with a case study concerning contamination of soils by chlodercone which is a pesticide used in the French Antiles and applied in banana plantations. Thereafter, Maia et al. [11] reviewed the chemical-physical properties of soil organic matter on which a debate concerning its nature and environmental role is still open. Also Laudicina et al. [12] dealt with natural organic matter. They reviewed the nature of dissolved organic matter and evaluated its role as indicator for environmental quality. The transformation of soil organic matter and its role in soil fertility following organic amendment, has been investigated by Scotti et al. [13] Two different papers dealt with innovative approaches of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy techniques in the evaluation of the chemical nature of natural organic matter. Namely, Plant et al. [14] combined cross polarization magic angle spinning (CPMAS) 13C NMR spectroscopy with flash-pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry (py-GCMS) and multivariate statistical analysis in order to evaluate differences among plant residues. On the other hand, Farooq et al. [15] provided a good practical guide on how high resolution magic angle spinning (HR-MAS) NMR spectroscopy can be applied for the recognition of the chemical nature of natural organic matter and its interactions in the environmental compartments. One of the main concerns in environmental organic chemistry is the photochemical transformation of organic pollutants, This topic has been deeply reviewed by Pace and Barreca [16]. Finally, Palazzolo et al. [17] reviewed the chemistry, and the potential applications in medicine, agriculture and cosmetic industry of citrus essential oils. REFERENCES [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17]
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Pellegrino Conte (Guest Editor) Università degli Studi di Palermo Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie e Forestali v.le delle Scienze, edificio 4, 90128, Palermo Italy E-mail:
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