ethephon

Also known as Chloroethylphosphonic acid, 2-Chloroethanephosphonic acid, 2-Cepa, 2-Chloroethylphosphonic acid, Chlorethephon

Ethephon is an organophosphorus compound with the formula . It is a colorless solid that is used as plant growth regulator.

Chemical data

Formula: C2H6ClO3P
Molecular weight: 144.49 g/mol
IUPAC name: 2-chloroethylphosphonic acid
SMILES: C(CCl)P(=O)(O)O
InChIKey: UDPGUMQDCGORJQ-UHFFFAOYSA-N
XLogP: -1
Polar surface area: 57.5 Å²
H-bond donors: 2
H-bond acceptors: 3
Formal charge: 0

via PubChem

Drug data · ChEMBL

Molecule type: Small molecule

via ChEMBL · EBI

Research

953 papers

Peer review of the pesticide risk assessment of the active substance ethephon.EFSA journal. European Food Safety Authority · 2023
Ethephon Poisoning: Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes.Toxics · 2025
Ethephon-induced changes in antioxidants and phenolic compounds in anthocyanin-producing black carrot hairy root cultures.Journal of experimental botany · 2020
Ethephon promotes isoflavone accumulation in germinating soybeans by its acceleration of isoflavone biosynthetic pathway.Plant physiology and biochemistry : PPB · 2023
Ethephon Reduces Maize Nitrogen Uptake but Improves Nitrogen Utilization in Zea mays L.Frontiers in plant science · 2021

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Wikidata facts

Subclass of: chemical compound
Mass: 143.974

Show 6 more facts

chemical formula: C₂H₆ClO₃P
melting point: 70
canonical SMILES: C(CCl)P(=O)(O)O
subject has role: plant growth regulator
Commons category: Ethephon
found in taxon: Ginkgo biloba

Sources (4)

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Encyclopedic overview

6 sections

Contents

Mechanism of action
Uses in various crops
Ripening
Sexual effects
Safety
References

Ethephon is an organophosphorus compound with the formula . It is a colorless solid that is used as plant growth regulator.

==Mechanism of action== Upon metabolism by the plant, it is converted into ethylene, a potent regulator of plant growth and ripeness. When applied in a plant that is in a vegetative stage, ethylene usually acts by hindering vegetative growth and inducing the start of the flowering stage. If applied in a later stage, it can accelerate the ripening of some fruits.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “ethephon” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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