Only proprietary names should have an initial capital:
For organophosphorus pesticides, note the spelling of phosphorus (not phosphorous). Use the term organophosphorus only as an adjective. The equivalent noun is organophosphate:
The organophosphorus pesticides are a large group of pesticides, including … but The organophosphate parathion is one of a group of …
For organochlorine pesticides, there is no such distinction:
The organochlorine pesticides are a large group of pesticides, including … The organochlorine dieldrin is one of a group of …
For the organochlorine insecticides DDT and DDE, the common chemical names should be spelt out in full at the first mention:
dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE)
If you need to identify the isomers of these compounds, include the isomeric suffixes p,p'- or o,p'-:
The formal (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry) names are:
- DDT – 1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-di(4-chlorophenyl)ethane
- DDE – 1,1-bis-(4-chlorophenyl)-2,2-dichloroethene.
For the chlorophenoxy herbicides, the full names should also be given at first use:
2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D)
2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T)
For further details on presentation of chemical compound names, see Chemical compounds.
