- k - 
The first announcement of the new insecticide now known as chlordane 
appeared in the December 19^-5 issue of the Journal of Economic Entomology. 
In an article by Kearns e_t al. ( 245 ) entitled "A New Chlorinated Hydro- 
carbon Insecticide" attention was called to a product having the empirical 
formula C^oH^Olg which had been found to be more toxic than DDT and to 
compare favorably in toxicity to the pure gamma isomer of benzene hexa- 
chloride to several species of insects. The compound, called 1068, was 
stated to be possibly a mixture of isomers. 
CHEMICAL NAME 
In the 19^7 subject index of Chemical Abstracts chlordane is called 
l,2,4,5,6 t 7,8,8-ectachloro-2,3,3a,^,7,7a-ttexahydro-4,7-methancindene. 
In certain publications the name l,2,4,5,6,7,8,3-octachloro-\7-methano- 
3a,4 t 7,7a-tetrahydroindane has been used, [indan is 2,3-dihydroindene]. 
British patent No. 6l8,432 refers to the compound as octachlcrodicyclo- 
pentadianedihydride. 
COMMON NAME 
The selection of the name "chlordane" for this chemical was 
announced on February 25, 1947, following conferences of representatives 
of the Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine, the Production and 
Marketing Administration, the Pood and Drug Administration, and the com- 
panies producing this insecticide. The name "technical chlordane" was 
proposed for the "commercially produced chemical containing 60 to 75 
percent of chlordane, together with 25 to 40 percent of related compounds, 
occurring in the normal manufacturing processes, which are toxic to 
insects." The names "chlordane" and "technical chlordane" were recorded 
in the Patent Office as of February 27, 19*4-7. 
Murphy ( 34l ) pointed out that the terminal "ane" in chlordane is 
misdescriptive as it is properly reserved for saturated hydrocarbons 
and parent heterocyclic compounds. Chemical Abstracts and the other 
journals of the American Chemical Society refer to this compound as 
"chlordan", but the United States Department of Agriculture and industry 
call it "chlordane". 
LABELING 
For the purpose of labeling insecticides under the new Federal 
Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, the Production and Market- 
ing Administration of the United States Department of Agriculture has 
approved the use of the shortened name - octachloro-4,7-methanotetra- 
hydroindane. 
