Degradation products and pathway of ethiprole in water and soil

Ethiprole and its degradation products were identified and quantified using UHPLC-Q-TOF/MS. Indoor culture experiments and UHPLC-Q-TOF/MS are used to study the hydrolysis, photolysis, and soil degradation behavior of ethiprole in water and soil. The differences in ethiprole degradation products across a range of environmental conditions such as pH, light, and oxygen availability were compared in order to improve understanding of the ethiprole degradation pathway and the toxicity of the degradation products. Eleven degradation products were identified using UHPLC-Q-TOF/MS and MetaboLynx XS Training software, and two new degradation products (M401 and M312) were characterized by ¹H NMR and HR MS. Three degradation products M401, M399, and M312 were detected in samples using a UHPLC-MS/MS protocol established in this study. Tests of acute toxicity of the three degradation products on Brachydanio rerio, Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata, and Daphnia magna Straus found that the toxicity of M401 to Daphnia magna Straus was greater than that of the parent compound, indicating that ethiprole degradation should be carefully monitored in given the environmental risk posed by its degradation products.