The key difference between butachlor and pretilachlor is that butachlor is an acetanilide and this herbicide is marketed as an emulsifiable concentrate and granular formulation, whereas pretilachlor is an anilide and is marketed as a 50% emulsifiable concentrate formulation.
Butachlor and pretilachlor are important herbicides that are useful in getting rid of weeds found in paddy fields. These two herbicides usually work in a similar way.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Butachlor
3. What is Pretilachlor
4. Butachlor vs Pretilachlor in Tabular Form
5. Summary – Butachlor and Pretilachlor
What is Butachlor?
Butachlor is a herbicide of the acetanilide class. It can be used as a selective pre-emergent herbicide, and it is extensively used in India (in the form of granules in rice to get post-emergence herbicide). The chemical formula of Butachlor is C17H26ClNO2. The molar mass of this compound is 311.85 g/mol. It appears as light yellow oil, which has a density of 1.0695 g/cm3. It has poor solubility in water. Other names for butachlor include bilchlor, machette, etc.
Figure 01: The Chemical Structure of Butachlor
Butachlor can be described as an aromatic amide compound having the IUPAC name 2-chloro-N-(2,6-diethylpheny)acetamide. In this compound, the amide nitrogen atom is replaced by a butoxymethyl group. The role of this compound can be given as a herbicide, an environmental contaminant, and a xenobiotic. This compound is an aromatic amide that can be known as an organochloride compound and as a tertiary carboxamide. Moreover, butachlor is functionally close to N-phenylacetamide.
The hydrogen bond donor count of this molecule is zero. But the hydrogen bond acceptor count is 2. Moreover, it has a rotatable bond count of 9 and a heavy atom count of 21. The formal charge of butachlor is zero. In the physical description, it can be described as amber or light yellow color liquid with a faint, sweet odor. The boiling point of this compound is 156 degrees Celsius, and its melting point is -2.8 degrees Celsius. The flash point of this compound can be given as 114 degrees Celsius. It is soluble in most organic solvents such as diethyl ether, acetone, benzene, ethanol, ethyl acetate, and hexane.
What is Pretilachlor?
Pretilachlor is an anilide having the chemical formula C17H26ClNO2. The molar mass of this compound is 311.8 g/mol. The IUPAC name of pretilachlor is 2-chloro-N-(2,6-diethylphenyl)-N-(2-propoxyethyl)acetamide. The hydrogen bond donor count for this compound is zero, while the hydrogen bond acceptor count is 2. It has a rotatable bond count of 9. This compound has a heavy atom count of 21. Its formal charge is zero. It has a complexity of 287 degrees. Moreover, pretilachlor has a low solubility.
Pretilachlor can be described as a broad-spectrum systemic herbicide having excellent action against annual weeds, sedges, and broadleaf weeds in rice fields. The most common broad-leaved weeds that this compound can act on are Echinochloa Beauvoid, Cyperus difformis, and sedges in rice and paddy fields.
What is the Difference Between Butachlor and Pretilachlor?
Butachlor and pretilachlor are important herbicides that work in a similar way. However, they are marketed in different forms. The key difference between butachlor and pretilachlor is that butachlor is marketed as an emulsifiable concentrate and granular formulation, whereas pretilachlor is marketed as a 50% emulsifiable concentrate formulation. Moreover, butachlor is a selective systemic herbicide, while pretilachlor is a broad-spectrum systemic herbicide.
The below infographic presents the differences between butachlor and pretilachlor in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.
Summary – Butachlor vs Pretilachlor
Butachlor is a herbicide of the acetanilide class, while Pretilachlor is an anilide having the chemical formula C17H26ClNO2. The key difference between butachlor and pretilachlor is that butachlor is marketed as an emulsifiable concentrate and granular formulation, whereas pretilachlor is marketed as a 50% emulsifiable concentrate formulation.
Reference:
1. “Butachlor.” National Center for Biotechnology Information. PubChem Compound Database, U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Butachlor structure” By Ed (Edgar181) – Own work (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia