Alteration of O,O-dimethyl S-[alpha-(carboethoxy)benzyl] phosphorodithioate (phenthoate) in citrus, water, and upon exposure to air and sunlight.

The fate of 32P- and 14C-labeled O,O-dimethyl S-[alpha-(carboethoxy)benzyl] phosphorodithioate (phenthoate) was determined in citrus, water, and upon exposure to air and sunlight. The products recovered from citrus and glass plates exposed to sunlight were unchanged phenthoate, phenthoate oxon, demethyl phenthoate, mandelic acid, bis-[alpha-(carboethoxy)benzyl] disulfide, O,O-dimethyl phosphorothioic and phosphorodithioic acid. Similar products generally were found in citrus leaf and fruit extracts. Phenthoate was fairly stable in phosphate buffered water with a half-life of approximately 12 days at pH 8.0. The major hydrolysis products were phenthoate acid, demethyl phenthoate and demethyl phenthoate oxon.