Submitted via IRC for tortured_old_man
Researchers rediscover fast-acting German insecticide lost in the aftermath of WWII
A new study in the Journal of the American Chemical Society explores the chemistry as well as the complicated and alarming history of DFDT, a fast-acting insecticide.
"We set out to study the growth of crystals in a little-known insecticide and uncovered its surprising history, including the impact of World War II on the choice of DDT—and not DFDT—as a primary insecticide in the 20th century," said Bart Kahr, professor of chemistry at New York University and one of the study's senior authors.
Kahr and fellow NYU chemistry professor Michael Ward study the growth of crystals, which two years ago led them to discover a new crystal form of the notorious insecticide DDT. DDT is known for its detrimental effect on the environment and wildlife. But the new form developed by Kahr and Ward was found to be more effective against insects—and in smaller amounts, potentially minimizing its environmental impact.
In continuing to explore the crystal structure of insecticides, the research team began studying fluorinated forms of DDT, swapping out chlorine atoms for fluorine. They prepared two solid forms of the compound—a monofluoro and a difluoro analog—and tested them on fruit flies and mosquitoes, including mosquito species that carry malaria, yellow fever, Dengue, and Zika. The solid forms of fluorinated DDT killed insects more quickly than did DDT; the difluoro analog, known as DFDT, killed mosquitoes two to four times faster.
"Speed thwarts the development of resistance," said Ward, a senior author on the study. "Insecticide crystals kill mosquitoes when they are absorbed through the pads of their feet. Effective compounds kill insects quickly, possibly before they are able to reproduce."
The researchers also made a detailed analysis of the relative activities of the solid-state forms of fluorinated DDT, noting that less thermodynamically stable forms—in which the crystals liberate molecules more easily—were more effective at quickly killing insects.
[...] "We were surprised to discover that at the outset DDT had a competitor which lost the race because of geopolitical and economic circumstances, not to mention its connection to the German military, and not necessarily because of scientific considerations. A faster, less persistent insecticide, as is DFDT, might have changed the course of the 20th century; it forces us to imagine counterfactual science histories," said Kahr.
More information: Xiaolong Zhu et al, Manipulating Solid Forms of Contact Insecticides for Infectious Disease Prevention, Journal of the American Chemical Society (2019). DOI: 10.1021/jacs.9b08125
Journal information: Journal of the American Chemical Society Provided by New York University
Citation: Researchers rediscover fast-acting German insecticide lost in the aftermath of WWII (2019, October 11) retrieved 13 October 2019 from https://phys.org/news/2019-10-rediscover-fast-acting-german-insecticide-lost.html
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 15 2019, @03:18AM (1 child)
Exterminate the Jew Bugs!
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 15 2019, @10:17AM
Exterminate the White Snowflakes! Exterminate! Exterminate!
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Mykl on Tuesday October 15 2019, @04:58AM (2 children)
What I found most fascinating was that Paul Muller, who won the Nobel Prize for discovering that DDT kills insects, actually recommended DFDT over DDT himself once he knew more about it. When a Nobel Prize winner recommends "the competitor product", I would've thought that people would listen!
We were certainly happy to make off with a lot of other German science post-war - I wonder why DFDT wasn't one of them?
(Score: 3, Touché) by nobu_the_bard on Tuesday October 15 2019, @01:14PM
I think because everyone was understandably a little uneasy about a German technology for killing more efficiently.
You might say it's a tragedy on more than one Axis.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by RamiK on Tuesday October 15 2019, @05:16PM
As a rule of thumb, whenever you see a superior "forgotten" technology or the likes not being manufactured / used, it's intellectual property issues.
Here, it probably wasn't patented in time: It's a common tale in the steroid and amphetamine circles that Nazi research mostly went unpatented during the war [www.dpma.de] so many drugs and insecticides ended up on the wrong side of the allies' "if we can't secure the patent, illegalize it" churn following the reparations [wikipedia.org].
compiling...
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Rosco P. Coltrane on Tuesday October 15 2019, @05:09AM (2 children)
Many people are keen to forget fast-acting German insecticides from WWII...
(Score: 5, Informative) by driverless on Tuesday October 15 2019, @05:28AM (1 child)
Was wondering if I should mention that one too... Zyklon-B was an insecticide, and Sarin, Tabun, and Soman all came about from insecticide research.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 16 2019, @01:12AM
All so effective for pest control
Modern pest control that is. For modern pests.
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Wednesday October 16 2019, @02:17AM
Sauerkraut farts. Less "insecticidal" than "omnicidal" though.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...