Enantioselective Degradation and Chiral Stability of Phenthoate in Soil.

This article discusses the chiral chemical structure of the organophosphorus insecticide, phenthoate, and the efficacy of its enantiomers in soils in China. Enantiopure positive phenthoate was prepared and tested by chiral high performance liquid chromatography. The authors found that phenthoate degraded faster in Tianjin alkaline soil than in Hubei acidic soil. Also, the insecticidally more active positive enantiomer degraded faster than negative phenthoate. They concluded that degradation would lead to residues enriched with the less active negative phenthoate.