Surf Wiki
Save to docs
general/pesticides

From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

Metam sodium

Carbathion Carbathione Carbothion Metamsodium Metam-sodium

Metam sodium is an organosulfur compound with the formula . The compound is a sodium salt of a dithiocarbamate. The compound exists as a colorless dihydrate, but most commonly it is encountered as an aqueous solution. It is used as a soil fumigant, pesticide, herbicide, and fungicide. It is one of the most widely used pesticides in the United States, with approximately 60 million pounds used in 2001.

Metam-sodium belongs to two HRAC groups, so it is designated Group A/C (Aus), Group A/C1 (global) and Group 1/5 (numeric).

Preparation and properties

Metam sodium is prepared by combining methylamine, carbon disulfide, and sodium hydroxide: : It also arises from the reaction of methyl isothiocyanate and sodium thiolate.

Upon exposure to the environment, metam sodium decomposes to methyl isothiocyanate and other sulfur compounds.

Safety and environmental considerations

Metam sodium is nonpersistent in the environment since it decomposes rather quickly to toxic methyl isothiocyanate and carbon disulfide. In 1991 a tank car with 19,000 gallons of a metam sodium based pesticide spilled into Sacramento River above Lake Shasta. This killed all fish in a 41-mile stretch of the river. 20 years later the rainbow trout population had recovered.

References

References

  1. ''[[Merck Index]]'', 11th Edition, '''5860'''.
  2. (2008). "Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry".
  3. [http://www.epa.gov/oppbead1/pestsales/01pestsales/usage2001_2.htm 2000-2001 Pesticide Market Estimates] {{webarchive. link. (2009-02-07 , U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)
  4. "Metam-sodium (Ref: N 869)".
  5. Bretaudeau Deguigne M, Lagarce L, Boels D, Harry P. (2011). "Metam sodium intoxication: the specific role of degradation products--methyl isothiocyanate and carbon disulphide--as a function of exposure.". Clin Toxicol (Phila).
  6. "Largest chemical spill in California history".
Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

pesticides herbicides fungicides dithiocarbamates organic-sodium-salts group-1-herbicides group-5-herbicides
Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about Metam sodium — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report