Organotin compounds of the type R n SnX 4 _ n have a number of industrial applications and are therefore able to enter the environment through a variety of routes. The fate of these compounds in the environment is of obvious interest, and the possibility of their eventual degradation to a non-toxic inorganic tin species must increase their potential as acceptable chemicals. This review shows that there is evidence to suggests that organotin compounds, when used in an appropriate manner, are unlikely to create a serious long term pollution hazard.

The following is a summary of one of the papers presented at a Joint Meeting of the Western and South East Regions and the Microchemical Methods Group held at Portsmouth Polytechnic on April 5th-6th, 1982. Summaries of four other papers from the meeting were published in the December, 1982, issue (p. 561).

A method is described for the removal of the tin coating from tinplate and tinned steel or copper culinary utensils and the subsequent determination of the lead content of the tin layer by flame atomic-absorption spectrometry. The coating is removed from the tinned article by the action of hydrochloric acid in the presence of copper, which inhibits dissolution of the underlying steel, while tinned copper is treated with hydrochloric acid.

A method is described for the analysis of solutions containing inorganic tin and butyltin compounds. It can be used to determine total tin at a concentration of 20 ng dm-3 using a 5 dm3 sample. The method is based on solvent extraction with dichloromethane containing tropolone and determination of the tin as inorganic tin by atomic absorption spectroscopy using electrothermal atomization. The extracted butyltin compounds can be separated by paper chromatography and the tin content of the individual spot determined as above. Observations on the stability of butyltin compounds in water at the -2 mgdm-3 (Sn) are included.