Captafol appears as white, colourless to pale yellow, or tan (technical-grade) crystals or as
a crystalline solid or powder, with a slight characteristic pungent odour. It is practically
insoluble in water but is soluble or slightly soluble in most organic solvents. Captafol
reacts with bases, acids, acid vapours, and strong oxidisers. Captafol is a broad-spectrum
nonsystemic fungicide that is categorised as a phthalimide fungicide based on its tetrahydrophthalimide
chemical ring structure (other phthalimide fungicides include captan
and folpet). It hydrolyses slowly in aqueous emulsions or suspensions but rapidly
in acidic and basic aqueous alkaline media. Captafol will not burn, but when heated to
decomposition, it emits toxic fumes, including nitrogen oxides, sulphur oxides, phosgene,
and chlorine.
Captafol is effective for the control of almost all fungal diseases of plants except powdery
mildews and is widely used outside the United States for the control foliage and
fruit disease on apples, citrus, tomato, cranberry, potato, coffee, pineapple, peanut, onion,
stone fruit, cucumber, blueberry, prune, watermelon, sweet corn, wheat, barley, oilseed
rape, leek, and strawberry. It is also used as a seed protectant in cotton, peanuts, and rice.
Captafol is also used in the lumber and timber industries to reduce losses from wood rot
fungi in logs and wood products. Formulations of captafol include dusts, flowables, wettables,
water dispersibles, and aqueous suspensions. Mixed formulations include (captafol +)
triadimefon, ethirimol, folpet, halacrinate, propiconazole, and pyrazophos. Captafol is
compatible with most plant-protection products, with the exception of alkaline preparations
and formulating material.
