Isolation of Phthalates and Terephthalates from Plant Material – Natural Products or Contaminants?

Thies Thiemann

doi:10.2174/1874842202108010001

Abstract

Dialkyl phthalates have been used as plasticizers in polymers for decades. As mobile, small weight molecules, phthalates have entered the environment, where they have become ubiquitous. On the other hand, phthalates continue to be isolated from natural sources, plants, bacteria and fungi asbona fidenatural products. Here, doubt remains as to whether the phthalates represent actual natural products or whether they should all be seen as contaminants of anthropogenic origin. The following article will review the material as presented in the literature.

Highlights

Phthalates are ubiquitous compounds that have been used as plasticizers in polymers for many decades, starting in the late 1920s – early 1930s, where a number of patents showed the rising interest in these products at the time [1, 2] and where phthalates started to replace camphor-based plasticizers
Phthalates have been isolated from a multitude of different natural sources
Oftentimes, the phthalates are isolated as a bouquet of different phthalates, sometimes in conjunction with siloxanes, which definitely are of anthropogenic origin

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Phthalates are ubiquitous compounds that have been used as plasticizers in polymers for many decades, starting in the late 1920s – early 1930s, where a number of patents showed the rising interest in these products at the time [1, 2] and where phthalates started to replace camphor-based plasticizers. Butyl benzyl phthalate (BBzP, 1), dibutyl phthalate (DnBP, 5), diethyl phthalate (DEP, 7), diisobutyl phthalate (DiBP, 12), diisononyl phthalate (DINP, 15), di-n-octyl phthalate (DnOP, 20), dipentyl phthalate (DNPP, 9), di-isohexyl phthalate, dicyclohexyl phthalate (DcHP, 11), and di-isoheptyl phthalate have all been associated with illnesses and disorders as diverse as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder [26], breast cancer [27], obesity [28] and type II diabetes [29], neurodevelopmental issues [30], behavioral issues, autism spectrum disorders [31], altered reproductive development [32] and male fertility issues [33] It must be said, that in many instances, insufficient data is available to make irrefutable statements on the health impacts of phthalates. A recent review of the microbial degradation of phthalates is available [6]

Phthalates in Aquatic Environments and Isolated from Marine Produce

Identification Method of the Terephthalate

Identification Method of the Isophthalate

Findings

CONCLUSION