Campus Units
Entomology
Document Type
Book Chapter
Publication Version
Published Version
Publication Date
3-21-1991
Journal or Book Title
Pesticide Transformation Products
Volume
459
Issue
2
First Page
10
Last Page
30
DOI
10.1021/bk-1991-0459.ch002
Abstract
Pesticides are degraded by many different mechanisms. Physical, chemical, and biological agents play significant roles in the transformation of insecticide, herbicide, and fungicide molecules to various degradation products. Transformation mechanisms include oxidation, hydrolysis, reduction, hydration, conjugation, isomerization, and cyclization. Resultant products are usually less bioactive than the parent psticide molecule, but numerous cases have been documented of metabolites with greater bioactivity. The physical and chemical properties of the degradation products are also different from those of the parent compound, and their fate and significance in the environment also are altered with the structural changes. The concept of "environmental activation" is introduced, to describe the transformation of a pesticide to a degradation product that is of significance in the environment as a result of its environmental toxicology or chemistry.
Copyright Owner
American Chemical Society
Copyright Date
1991
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Coats, Joel R., "Pesticide Degradation Mechanisms and Environmental Activation" (1991). Entomology Publications. 379.
https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/ent_pubs/379
Comments
Reprinted (adapted) with permission from Pesticide Transformation Products, 459(2); 10-30. Doi: 10.1021/bk-1991-0459.ch002. 1991 American Chemical Society.