Similarities between DEET and Agent Orange

Agent Orange is a roughly 1:1 mixture of the herbicides 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T (Wikipedia: Agent Orange). Conversely, DEET is an insect-repellent, and not a herbicide (Wikipedia: DEET).

Short Name		Full Chemical Name	Molecular Formula	Structural Formula
Agent Orange	2,4-D	2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (Hill)	C8H6Cl2O3
	2,4,5-T	2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (Hill)	C8H5Cl3O3
DEET		N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide or N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (Wikipedia: DEET)	C12H17NO

DEET and Agent Orange are both organic molecules, but the similarities end there. All three compounds do contain a benzene ring, but 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T have drastically different chains than DEET. Both Agent Orange compounds contain chlorine and an acetic acid chain (carboxyl group), while DEET contains a nitrogen chain.

2,4-D is still the most widely used herbicide today, and is approved for use by the FDA and European Union (32001L0103). Both 2,4-D and its relatives are artificial versions of plant hormones and thus can be very efficient selective herbicides (Wikipedia: Agent Orange). The controversies associated with Agent Orange are attributed to the production mechanism of 2,4,5-T, which can create a deadly byproduct, tetraclorodioxin, if temperature is not carefully controlled (Simple Molecules in the Environment). It was tetraclorodioxin, not the active ingredients in Agent Orange, which caused problems during the Vietnam War. Neither 2,4,5-T nor 2,4-D is not thought to have significant mammalian health hazards.

Conclusion: Agent Orange and DEET are not the same compound. Because the body will break down the two compounds differently, one cannot conclude that DEET is harmful to humans because of toxicities associated with Agent Orange.

--Isaac Levy

Bibliography

“2,4,5-T (Agent Orange).” Simple Molecules in the Environment. 26 Aug. 2005 <http://www.ch.ic.ac.uk/rzepa/mim/environmental/html/245t_text.htm>.

“32001L0103.” Addition of 2,4-D to Active Substances. 28 Nov 2001. European Union Commission . 26 Aug. 2005 <http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/lex/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:32001L0103:EN:HTML>.

“Agent Orange.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 16 Aug 2005. 26 Aug 2005 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_Orange>

“Deet.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 13 Aug 2005. 26 Aug 2005 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deet>

“EU 2,4-D Hazard Report.” 28 Nov 2001. European Union Commission . 26 Aug. 2005 <http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/plant/protection/evaluation/existactive/list1_2-4-d_en.pdf>.

Hill, Brian. “The UM-BBD 2,4,5-Trichlorophenoxyacetic Acid Pathway.” 15 Dec 1997. University of Minnesota. 26 Aug. 2005 <http://umbbd.ahc.umn.edu:8015/umbbd/servlet/pageservlet?ptype=p&pathway_abbr=2,4,5-t>.