Rotenone is one of many metabolic toxins. It is a pesticidal compound used as a non-specific insectiside, acaricide and piscicide. Its empirical formula is C23H22O6 with a molecular weight of 394.41 and a melting point of 165-166°c. This toxin is nearly insoluble in water, but is very soluble in many organic solvents. Things that determine its rate of decomposition in water include light, depth, temperature, dose and presence of organic debris. It readily breaks down into approximately 20 products, and only one of which is toxic (12ab-rotenolone). The degradation products that are not toxic are considered safe for use on land and water. Rotenone is most commonly available in the forms of 5% water-wettable powder and 5% liquid.
Rotenone is extracted from the roots of the tropical plants Lacepod (Lonchocarpus), Hoary pea (Tephrosia) and Jewel Vine (Derris), with the majority of it coming from Peru. It also primarily comes from Malaysia, South America and East Africa.
Cellular respiration is a very important process in all living things, so the use of Rotenone is risky. It can disrupt cellular respiration in nearly every living organism, causing a slow death by interfering with the Electron Transport System in a cell's mitochondria. Oxidative phosphorylation is a process that takes place during Chemiosmosis, and it allows ATP molecules to be synthesized. Rotenone inhibits this process in cellular respiration by blocking a mitochondrial enzyme called NADH ubiquinone reductase. This results in the oxygen of an intoxicated organism increasing, as oxygen is now unavailable for respiration. Death from this happens through tissue anoxia by blocking the uptake of oxygen at the cellular level. This is why Rotenone is considered a metabolic toxin, and the toxicity of it varies greatly between species.
The above is a diagram representing the formation of Rotenone at an atomic level.
great article!
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