Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 31, 2026
13:16
A Whole Cell Bioreporter Approach to Assess Transport and Bioavailability of Organic Contaminants in Water Unsaturated Systems
Published on: December 24, 2014
N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide transformation in river water
1Department of Analytical Chemistry, University of Turin. via P. Giuria 5, 10125 Torino, Italy. paola.calza@unito.it
The Science of the Total Environment
|June 29, 2011
Summary
N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET), a common mosquito repellent, undergoes degradation in aquatic environments. Laboratory and field studies identified 37 intermediate compounds, with 12 found in natural river water, revealing key transformation pathways.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Chemistry
- Aquatic Toxicology
- Photochemistry
Background:
- N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET) is a widely used and effective insect repellent.
- Understanding its environmental fate is crucial due to its prevalence in aquatic ecosystems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the aqueous environmental fate and transformation pathways of DEET.
- To identify intermediate compounds formed during DEET decomposition in aquatic systems.
- To validate laboratory findings with field observations in natural river water.
Main Methods:
- Laboratory simulations using sterilized and river water under dark and illuminated conditions.
- Analysis of DEET decomposition and intermediate products using Mass Spectrometry (MS) and MS(n) spectra.
- Field sampling and analysis of river water at multiple points to identify transformation products (TPs).
Main Results:
- DEET degrades under illumination, forming 37 identified organic intermediate compounds.
- Twelve transformation products found in spiked river water were also detected in natural river water.
- Transformation pathways include dealkylation, hydroxylation, oxidation, and alkyl chain cleavage.
- Two TPs formed in the dark; others primarily resulted from indirect photolysis.
Conclusions:
- DEET undergoes significant transformation in aquatic environments, primarily through photolysis.
- Identified TPs provide insights into the environmental behavior and persistence of DEET.
- Field validation confirms the relevance of laboratory-derived transformation pathways.
