Paraoxon
chemical compound
Paraoxon is a parasympathomimetic drug which acts as an cholinesterase inhibitor. It is an organophosphate oxon, and the active metabolite of the insecticide parathion. It is also used as an ophthalmological drug against glaucoma. Paraoxon is one of the most potent acetylcholinesterase-inhibiting insecticides available, around 70% as potent as the nerve agent sarin, and so is now rarely used as an insecticide due to the risk of poisoning to humans and other animals. Paraoxon has been used by scientists to study acute and chronic effects of organophosphate intoxication. It is easily absorbed through skin, and was allegedly used as an assassination weapon by the apartheid-era South African chemical weapons program Project Coast.
EA-1370, isopropyl para-nitrophenyl methylphosphonate, is the conjunction of the nerve agent sarin with the para-nitrophenol derived leaving group of paraoxon. Contact with the fluoride ion in a polar-aprotic solvent regenerates it to sarin.
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The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 13, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q416108. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1370.
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This entry incorporates text from “Paraoxon” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.