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Updated: Jun 18, 2026

Analysis of Organochlorine Pesticides in a Soil Sample by a Modified QuEChERS Approach Using Ammonium Formate
Published on: January 20, 2023
Chirality of organophosphorus pesticides: analysis and toxicity
Mae Grace Nillos1, Jay Gan, Daniel Schlenk
1Department of Environment Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
Abstract:
Although the importance of chirality in organophosphorus compounds (OPs) is well recognized in relation to their biological effects, as with most chiral pesticides, OPs are generally marketed, used and released to the environment as racemates (i.e., equimolar mixtures of enantiomers). In addition, research on enantioselective environmental fate and effects of chiral OPs is still limited, particularly in the evaluation of enantioselectivity in their environmental degradation. A large number of OPs are chiral compounds, and yet enantioselectivity in their environmental fate and effects is rarely addressed. This paper highlights the current state of knowledge on the environmental occurrence and behavior of chiral OP pesticides. Developments in enantioselective analytical techniques, specifically gas chromatography (GC), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and capillary electrophoresis (CE), as applied in the evaluation of enantiomer-specific fate and effects of chiral OPs, are also discussed.
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