Simazine is an herbicide of the triazine class. The compound is used to control broad-leaved weeds and annual grasses.
Preparation
Simazine may be prepared from cyanuric chloride and a concentrated solution of ethyl amine (at least 50 percent by number) in water.1 The reaction is highly exothermic and is therefore best carried out below 10 °C.
Cyanuric chloride decomposes at high temperatures into hydrogen chloride and hydrogen cyanide, both of which are highly toxic by inhalation.
Properties and uses
Simazine is an off-white crystalline compound which is sparingly soluble in water. It is a member of the triazine-derivative herbicides, and was widely used as a residual non-selective herbicide, but is now banned in European Union states.2 Like atrazine, a related triazine herbicide, it acts by inhibiting photosynthesis. It remains active in the soil for two to seven months or longer after application.
See also
External links
- Simazine, Extoxnet PIP
References
"Simazine: Methods of Manufacturing". PubChem. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Simazine#section=Methods-of-Manufacturing&fullscreen=true ↩
2004/247/EC: Commission Decision of 10 March 2004 concerning the non-inclusion of simazine in Annex I to Council Directive 91/414/EEC and the withdrawal of authorisations for plant protection products containing this active substance https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32004D0247 ↩