Dieldrin

Dieldrin is a chlorinated hydrocarbon originally produced by Bayer AG as an insecticide. Its chemical formula is C12H8Cl6O. The molecule has a ring structure based on naphthalene.

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Dieldrin is closely related to aldrin which itself breaks down to form dieldrin. Aldrin is not toxic to insects, it is oxidised in the insect to form dieldrin which is the active compound. Both Dieldrin and Aldrin are named after the Diels-Alder reaction which is used for form Aldrin from a mixture of cyclopentadiene and hexachlorocyclopentadiene.

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Originally it was developed in the 1940s as an alternative to DDT it proved to be a highly effective insecticide and was very widely used during the 1950s to early 1970s.

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However, it is an extremely persistent organic pollutant, it does not easily break down. Furthermore it tends to accumulate as it is passed along the food chain. It proved toxic to a very wide range of animals including humans, far greater than to the original insect targets. For this reason it is now banned in most of the world.

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Chlorinated hydrocarbon: Chlorinated hydrocarbons are a class of chemicals used mainly as solvents but also with many other uses. A chlorinated hydrocarbon is derived, obviously, from a hydrocarbon molecule where one or more of the hydrogen atoms has been replaced by a chlorine atom....

Bayer AG: :For other uses, see Bayer (disambiguation)....

Insecticide: An insecticide is a pesticide whose purpose is to kill or to prevent the multiplication of insects....