Organothiophosphorus (P=S type) pesticides in aqueous solution have been shown to be converted to their oxygen analogs (P=O type) when the solutions were treated with chlorine or ozone. Ten P=O compounds were, therefore, prepared for their mass spectrometric and mutagenic studies.
The mass spectra of P=O compounds [phosphates: (RO)
2P (=O) -OR, phosphoamidoates: (RO)
2P (=O) -NHR] were complex and α-cleavage (P: OR, P: NHR), β-cleavage (PO: R, PNH: R) and numerous rearrangements occurred. For phosphates in which the R moiety was aliphatic (i.e., malaoxon) and for phosphoamidoates (i.e., butamifos-oxon and isofenphos-oxon), the molecular ion peaks were in general relatively weak. On the other hand, when the R moiety was aromatic, intense molecular ion peaks were observed.
Among 10 P=O compounds tested for mutagenicity in bacterial reversion-assay systems with 2 strains (TA98 and TA100) of
S. typhimuriumin the absence and presence of rat liver homogenate (S9 mix), EPN-oxon, isophenfos-oxon, malaoxon and paraoxon were found to be mutagenic. Chlorpyrifos-oxon, daizoxon and fenitro-oxon also exhibited weak mutagenicity. For butamif os-oxon, isoxa-oxon and tolclofos-methyl-oxon, no mutagenic effects were detected in the reversion assay systems.
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