Temperature and pH Stability Profiles of ortho and para DEET

DEET, N,N'-diethyl-m-toluamide, is the most commonly used mosquito repellent. However, it can easily permeate through skin leading to toxic effects. A recent study showed that the ortho analogue of DEET showed enhanced repellency with reduced permeation compared to the commercially used meta analogue. Thus, in order to understand the differences in properties and effectiveness among the m-, o- and p-analogues of DEET, an HPLC-UV method was developed for separately analyzing the three analogues. Moreover, stability profiles at temperatures ranging from $30^{\circ}C$ to $70^{\circ}C$ as well as pH ranging from pH 3 to pH 9 have been determined. All three analogues were stable with no degradation observed during the 5 day period. o-DEET therefore could be further developed into a safer and more effective mosquito repellent.