Tebuthiuron
Nonselective broad spectrum herbicide
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tebuthiuron is a nonselective broad spectrum herbicide of the urea class. It is used to control weeds, woody and herbaceous plants, and sugar cane.[1] It is absorbed by the roots and transported to the leaves, where it inhibits photosynthesis.[4][8] The ingredient was discovered by Air Products and Chemicals, but was registered by Elanco in the United States in 1974, and later sold to Dow AgroSciences.[9]
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| Names | |
|---|---|
| Preferred IUPAC name
N-(5-tert-Butyl-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl)-N,N′-dimethylurea | |
| Other names
Spike; Brulan; Brush Bullet; EL-103; Graslan; Perflan; Herbec; Herbic; Reclaim | |
| Identifiers | |
3D model (JSmol) |
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| ChEBI | |
| ChEMBL | |
| ChemSpider | |
| ECHA InfoCard | 100.047.070 |
| EC Number |
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| KEGG | |
PubChem CID |
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| UNII | |
| UN number | 3077 |
CompTox Dashboard (EPA) |
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| Properties | |
| C9H16N4OS | |
| Molar mass | 228.31 g·mol−1 |
| Appearance | Off-white to buff-colored crystalline solid |
| Density | 1.186 g/cm3 |
| Melting point | 163.19 °C (325.74 °F; 436.34 K) (mean or weighted MP) |
| Boiling point | 394.23 °C (741.61 °F; 667.38 K) (Adapted Stein & Brown method)[who?] |
| 2500 mg/L | |
| Vapor pressure | 0.27 mPa[6] |
| Hazards | |
| Occupational safety and health (OHS/OSH): | |
Main hazards |
dangerous for the environment |
| GHS labelling: | |
  | |
| Warning | |
| H302, H410 | |
| P264, P270, P273, P301+P312, P330, P391, P501 | |
| Lethal dose or concentration (LD, LC): | |
LD50 (median dose) |
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| Safety data sheet (SDS) | ChemAdvisor MSDS |
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Environmental impacts
The Environmental Protection Agency considers tebuthiuron to have a great potential for groundwater contamination, due to its high water solubility, low adsorption to soil particles, and high persistence in soil (soil half-life can exceed 360 days).
In Europe, tebuthiuron has been banned since November 2002.[10]
Application
Tebuthiuron is used agriculturally in Australia and the United States, usually formulated as granules, pellets or a wettable powder.[6] Pellets can be applied by hand (e.g. onto a clump of regrowth or along a fenceline), and by aircraft or ground equipment.[11] It can be applied any time of year, and once applied remains effective for several years. Tebuthiuron (as a 20% pellet) is applied at 0.5-2 g/m2,[12] equating to 0.1-0.4 g/m2 of active ingredient.
Tebuthiuron's herbicide resistance class is Group C, (Australia), C2 (global), Group 7, (numeric, i.e. Group 5, due to a merger).[13]
Vandalism
In 2010, tebuthiuron in the form of Dow AgroSciences Spike 80DF was deliberately used in an act of vandalism to poison the live oak trees at Toomer's Corner on the Auburn University campus following the 2010 Iron Bowl.[8][14] The lone perpetrator, a University of Alabama fan, was charged with first-degree criminal mischief and jailed on a $50,000 bond. Remediation involved removing about 1,780 tons of contaminated material.
In 2021, Arthur and Amelia Bond, wealthy summer residents of Camden, Maine poisoned their neighbor's oak trees with tebuthiuron to obtain a better view of Camden Harbor. They paid over $200,000 in fines to address illegal pesticide use and environmental contamination, and $1.5 million to settle with their neighbor.[15]