TOXICITY OF VARIOUS BENZENE DERIVATIVES TO 
INSECTS 
By William Moore. 
Assistant Professor of Research in Economic Zoology, Division of Economic Zoology, 
Department of Agriculture of the University of Minnesota 
INTRODUCTION 
The author in a previous paper (5) 1 pointed out the possibility of 
fumigating animals with nitrobenzene 2 to destroy their external para¬ 
sites. In that work and in later experiments with nitrobenzene as 
many as 500 animals (cattle, sheep, hogs, chickens, dogs, cats, rats, and 
guinea pigs) have been fumigated, with only two cases of possible 
poisoning. One case was the fumigation of five chickens, which, through 
a misunderstanding of an assistant, were fumigated for 13 hours instead 
of 8, with the result that the chickens later died from paralysis of the 
central nervous system. The other instance was that of a young cat, 
which after one hour showed signs of uneasiness and was removed from 
the fumigation cage. As no symptoms of poisoning resulted in this 
case the cat may have been reacting to a strange environment rather 
than to the action of the poison. 
Nevertheless, in view of the extreme toxicity of nitrobenzene as 
recorded in different works on toxicology, it was felt that it might be too 
poisonous for general use by inexperienced persons. For this reason a 
study of a series of benzene derivatives was undertaken with a view to 
determining their toxicity to insects; and from the result of this study it 
was hoped that one or more compounds might be found which would be 
quite toxic to insects while nontoxic to higher animals or plants. A 
study of the toxicity of the vapor of 28 benzene derivatives has been 
completed. A knowledge of the toxicity of the vapors of these com¬ 
pounds is valuable not alone for fumigation purposes but also as an 
1 Reference is made by number to “ Literature cited,” p. 380. 
a In nomenclature the usage of American Chemical Society is followed. 
(371) 
Journal of Agricultural Research, 
Washington, D. C. 
ie 
Vol. IX, No. 11 
June 11,1917 
Key No. Minn.—15 
