COSMO-RS prediction and experimental verification of deep eutectic solvents for water insoluble pesticides with high solubility

The solubility of 9 sparingly soluble pesticide active ingredients (PAIs) was predicted in 133 deep eutectic solvents (DESs) based on 7 hydrogen bond acceptors and 19 hydrogen bond donors, using a COSMO-RS model. 13 DESs with superior solubility of water-insoluble PAIs were screened out and verified with experiments. The actual measurement results agree well with the forecasting results. When compared with the solubility in pure water, some PAIs can even be mutually dissolvable with tetraethylammonium chloride: decanoic acid (1:2), tetrabutylammonium chloride: decanoic acid (1:3), and tetrabutylammonium chloride: phenol (1:5), such as butachlor, acetochlor, and metolachlor. IR and 1H NMR spectra suggested that hydrogen bonding between DESs and PAIs molecules played a crucial role in solvation. Crucially, the study indicated that it’s feasible to replace toxic organic solvents with DESs in emulsifiable concentrates formulations. The effects of different concentrations of tetraethylammonium chloride: decanoic acid (1:2) on the growth of wheat seedlings were also explored. The results showed that it did not affect the germination rate of wheat seeds, but with the increase of concentration, the growth indexes such as the lengths of shoots and roots grew shorter, the fresh weight of aboveground and underground decreased. This study not only provides COSMO-RS as a useful and reliable tool to screen DESs but also highlights that DESs can be an alternative to replace toxic and harmful organic solvents in emulsifiable concentrates (EC) formulations, which provide ideas and a basis for designing new green pesticide formulations.