Also known as p,p'-DDE, 4,4'-DDE, p,p'-(dichlorodiphenyl)-2,2-dichloroethylene, p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethene, p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene, Dichlorodiphenyl Dichloroethylene
Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) is a chemical compound formed by the loss of hydrogen chloride (dehydrohalogenation) from DDT, of which it is one of the more common breakdown products. Due to DDT's massive prevalence in society and agriculture during the mid 20th century, DDT and DDE are still widely seen in animal tissue samples. DDE is particularly dangerous because it is fat-soluble like other organochlorines; thus, it is rarely excreted from the body, and concentrations tend to increase throughout life. The major exception is the excretion of DDE in breast milk, which transfers a su
Research
6,411 papers- DDE remediation and degradation.Reviews of environmental contamination and toxicology · 2008
- Oxidative Phosphorylation Impairment by DDT and DDE.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2019
- DDT/DDE and breast cancer: a meta-analysis.Regulatory toxicology and pharmacology : RTP · 2013
- The DDE recombinases: diverse roles in acquired and innate immunity.Annals of allergy, asthma & immunology : official publication of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology · 2006
- Beyond the Surface: Mapping DDE's Metabolic Footprint on Adolescent Obesity.Environmental health perspectives · 2025
via PubMed
Wikidata facts
- Mass
- 315.938010976
Show 3 more facts
- Commons category
- Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene
- chemical formula
- C₁₄H₈Cl₄
- canonical SMILES
- C1=CC(=CC=C1C(=C(Cl)Cl)C2=CC=C(C=C2)Cl)Cl
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Article
5 sectionsContents
- Synthesis
- Toxicity
- Mechanism
- See also
- References
Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) is a chemical compound formed by the loss of hydrogen chloride (dehydrohalogenation) from DDT, of which it is one of the more common breakdown products. Due to DDT's massive prevalence in society and agriculture during the mid 20th century, DDT and DDE are still widely seen in animal tissue samples. DDE is particularly dangerous because it is fat-soluble like other organochlorines; thus, it is rarely excreted from the body, and concentrations tend to increase throughout life. The major exception is the excretion of DDE in breast milk, which transfers a substantial portion of the mother's DDE burden to the young animal or child. Along with accumulation over an organism's lifetime, this stability leads to bioaccumulation in the environment, which amplifies DDE's negative effects.
==Synthesis== DDE is created by dehydrohalogenation of DDT. The loss of HCl results in a double bond on the central (previously quaternary) carbon atoms. thumb|upright=1.5|none|Degradation of DDT to form DDE by an elimination of HCl