Product Description
Piperonyl Butoxide (PBO), CAS No. 51-03-6, is a widely used insecticide synergist commonly supplied as a 95% technical concentrate. It is typically a pale-yellow oily liquid with low water solubility and good solubility in most organic solvents. PBO has no significant independent insecticidal activity; instead, it enhances the effectiveness of various insecticides by inhibiting certain insect detoxification enzymes, helping improve their performance and prolong their effectiveness. It is commonly used in combination with pyrethrins and synthetic pyrethroids in household insecticides, agricultural pest control products, and public health pest management formulations. PBO is classified as UN3082, Class 9 (Environmentally Hazardous Substance), Packing Group III.
Chemical Properties
| Density | 1.059 |
| Melting point | <25 °C |
| Boiling point | 180 °C |
| Refractive index | 1.497-1.507 |
| Flash Point | 340° F (NTP, 1992) |
| Vapour Pressure | 0.02 hPa (60 °C) |
| Precise Quality | 338.209 |
| PSA | 46.15 |
| logP | 3.7177 |
| Solubility | light yellow liquid |
| Viscosity | Viscosity is a measure of a fluid's resistance to flow. It describes the internal friction of a moving fluid. |
| AnalyticLaboratory Methods | Method: OSHA PV2110; Procedure: high performance liquid chromatography using an ultraviolet detector; Analyte: piperonyl butoxide;; Matrix: air; Detection Limit: 0.08 mg/cu m. |
| Appearance | Piperonyl butoxide is a pale yellow to light brown liquid with a mild odor and a faint bitter taste. (NTP, 1992) |
| Storage | Ambient temperatures. |
| Chemical Properties | Practically insoluble in water, freely soluble in acetone, in anhydrous ethanol, in methylene chloride and in fatty oils. |
| Color/Form | Clear yellow |
| Corrosivity | NONCORROSIVE |
| Decomposition | When heated to decomp it emits acrid smoke and irritating fumes. |
| Odor | ODORLESS |
| Physical | PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Pale yellow to light brown liquid with a mild odor and a faint bitter taste. (NTP, 1992) |
| Water Solubility | H2O: <0.1 g/100 mL at 18 oC |
| Spectral Properties | Index of refraction: 1.50 at 20 deg C/D Intense mass spectral peaks: 176 m/z (100%), 177 m/z (41%), 194 m/z (26%), 57 m/z (19%) |
| Stability | Stable. Combustible. Incompatible with oxidizing agents. |
| StorageTemp | 2-8°C |
Product Application
PiperonylButoxide(PBO)iscommonlyusedinstored-grainpestmanagementtohelpcontrolinsectsinfestingagriculturalcommoditiessuchasrice,wheat,andbeans,includinggrainweevilsandotherstoragepests.Itisfrequentlycombinedwithpyrethrin-basedinsecticidestoenhancetheirinsecticidalperformancethroughasynergisticeffect.Byinhibitinginsectdetoxificationenzymes,PBOcansignificantlyimprovetheeffectivenessofpyrethrinscomparedwiththeirusealone,makingitavaluablecomponentinformulatedinsectcontrolproducts.
PBOistypicallyincorporatedintocompoundinsecticideformulationsataratioofapproximately1:10withpyrethrinsandcanbeformulatedintoemulsionsorpowderproductsatconcentrationsof0.05%–0.2%.Itssynergisticpropertiesmayhelpextendtheresidualeffectivenessofinsecticideformulations,dependingonapplicationconditionsandproductcomposition.Forstored-grainapplications,permitteduses,applicationrates,andmaximumresiduelimitsvarybycountryandmustcomplywithapplicablepesticideregistrationandfoodsafetyregulations.
