An oxon is an

organic compound In chemistry, organic compounds are generally any chemical compounds that contain carbon-hydrogen or carbon-carbon bonds. Due to carbon's ability to catenate (form chains with other carbon atoms), millions of organic compounds are known. T ...

derived from another chemical in which a

phosphorus Phosphorus is a chemical element with the symbol P and atomic number 15. Elemental phosphorus exists in two major forms, white phosphorus and red phosphorus, but because it is highly reactive, phosphorus is never found as a free element on Ear ...

- sulfur bond in the parent chemical has been replaced by a

oxygen Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the periodic table, a highly reactive nonmetal, and an oxidizing agent that readily forms oxides with most elements as ...

bond in the derivative. Important examples of oxons can be found in the family of pesticides known as organophosphates. Some of these chemicals, such as

chlorpyrifos Chlorpyrifos (CPS), also known as Chlorpyrifos ethyl, is an organophosphate pesticide that has been used on crops, animals, and buildings, and in other settings, to kill several pests, including insects and worms. It acts on the nervous systems ...

diazinon Diazinon (IUPAC name: ''O'',''O''-Diethyl ''O''- -methyl-6-(propan-2-yl)pyrimidin-2-ylphosphorothioate, INN - Dimpylate), a colorless to dark brown liquid, is a thiophosphoric acid ester developed in 1952 by Ciba-Geigy, a Swiss chemical company ...

, and parathion, do not manifest their main toxicity in their original form. Rather, an animal's liver replaces a phosphorus-sulfur bond with a phosphorus-oxygen bond, turning these chemicals into oxons. The oxons then inhibit the acetylcholinesterase, causing acetylcholine to accumulate uncontrollably, wreaking havoc on the animal's nervous system.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oxon (Chemical) Organophosphates Nitrobenzenes

See also

References