Syntheses of the Aliphatic Deuterium Analogs of DDT and TDE and Their Toxicity and Degradation When Applied to Adult House Flies1

The deuterated analogs of DDT (1,1,1-trichloro-2d,2,2-bis (p-chlorophenyl) ethane) and of TDE (1,1-dichloro-2d,2,2-bis (p-chlorophenyl) ethane) were synthesized and used to measure isotope effect on absorption spectra, insecticidal action, and chemical stability. Since deuteration gave little change in toxicity or degradation, these properties evidently involve the electronic structure of the molecule, not mass effects.