Composition of aldrin, dieldrin, and photodieldrin enantiomers in technical and environmental samples. 2009

Hans-Rudolf Buser, and Markus D Müller, and Ignaz J Buerge, and Thomas Poiger
Plant Protection Chemistry, Swiss Federal Research Station, Agroscope Changins-Wädenswil, Wädenswil, Switzerland.

Aldrin and dieldrin belong to the group of polycyclic chlorinated insecticides that are banned under the Stockholm Convention (POP Convention). Despite the fact that the use of these compounds ceased many years ago, aldrin and, in particular, dieldrin are still present in the environment from former applications, leading occasionally to contamination of agricultural produce and food, particularly Cucurbitaceae. These prochiral compounds have a complex stereochemistry. In the environment, aldrin is rapidly converted to its epoxide, dieldrin. Photolysis is one of the environmental transformation processes reported to be important for the compounds, leading to photoproducts such as photoaldrin and photodieldrin. In contrast to the parent compounds, photoaldrin and photodieldrin are chiral and exist as pairs of enantiomers. Although dieldrin and its metabolites have been extensively reviewed, the chirality of many of its metabolites has so far not been considered. In this study, the composition of technical aldrin and dieldrin from the 1950s and their photoproducts was investigated using both non-enantioselective and enantioselective gas chromatography with detection by several mass spectrometric techniques. Full enantiomer resolution of photodieldrin was achieved using a column with a silylated gamma-cyclodextrin as chiral selector. Photoaldrin, however, showed peak broadening, indicating some marginal resolution of the enantiomers. Whereas photodieldrin was formed as a racemate from both aldrin and dieldrin by natural sunlight, the analysis of environmental and biological samples (soil, biota) indicated its presence mostly with enantiomer compositions clearly differing from 1:1. The presence of photodieldrin in soil, treated more than 40 years ago with aldrin or dieldrin, documents that the photoreaction of dieldrin plays some role in the transformation of the compounds in the environment and that enantioselective biological processes are involved in its further transformation. The preliminary data also indicate that photodieldrin probably is not bioaccumulated more than dieldrin.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007306 Insecticides Pesticides designed to control insects that are harmful to man. The insects may be directly harmful, as those acting as disease vectors, or indirectly harmful, as destroyers of crops, food products, or textile fabrics. Insecticide
D010782 Photolysis Chemical bond cleavage reactions resulting from absorption of radiant energy. Photodegradation
D004026 Dieldrin An organochlorine insecticide whose use has been cancelled or suspended in the United States. It has been used to control locusts, tropical disease vectors, in termite control by direct soil injection, and non-food seed and plant treatment. (From HSDB) Alvit-55,Alvit 55,Alvit55
D004784 Environmental Monitoring The monitoring of the level of toxins, chemical pollutants, microbial contaminants, or other harmful substances in the environment (soil, air, and water), workplace, or in the bodies of people and animals present in that environment. Monitoring, Environmental,Environmental Surveillance,Surveillance, Environmental
D004785 Environmental Pollutants Substances or energies, for example heat or light, which when introduced into the air, water, or land threaten life or health of individuals or ECOSYSTEMS. Environmental Pollutant,Pollutant,Pollutants,Pollutants, Environmental,Pollutant, Environmental
D000452 Aldrin A highly poisonous substance that was formerly used as an insecticide. The manufacture and use has been discontinued in the U.S. (From Merck Index, 11th ed) Isodrin
D013237 Stereoisomerism The phenomenon whereby compounds whose molecules have the same number and kind of atoms and the same atomic arrangement, but differ in their spatial relationships. (From McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 5th ed) Molecular Stereochemistry,Stereoisomers,Stereochemistry, Molecular,Stereoisomer

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