Metabolic Fate of 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid in the Stem Tissue of Phaseolus vulgaris

Abstract

IN this Department previous investigations^1,2 of the metabolic fate of a series of chlorinated phenoxyacetic acids in stem tissues of Avena sativa have demonstrated that the formation of glucose esters or hydroxylation followed by conversion to a glucoside are major pathways. In this tissue 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) is converted principally into 1-0-(2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetyl)-β-D-glucose. In contrast, in the stems of Phaseolus vulgaris the principal metabolite isolated was seemingly a glucoside of a phenolic acid³ which was not a hydroxy-2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid^3–5. Further investigation has identified the presence of a mixture of 2,5-dichloro-4-hydroxyphenoxyacetic acid and 2,3-dichloro-4-hydroxyphenoxyacetic acid.