Identification of metabolites of hexazinone by mass spectrometry.

The metabolites of hexazinone [3-cyclohexyl-6-(dimethylamino)-1-methyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4(1H,3H)-dione ] obtained in the rat and in plants were identified by mass spectrometry. Rat urine metabolites were identified from direct probe spectra obtained on metabolites separated by thin-layer chromatography. Sugarcane metabolites were identified by gas chromatography mass spectrometry of the trimethylsilyl derivatives. The major metabolic routes were found to be hydroxylation of the cyclohexyl group and demethylation. All identifications were confirmed by synthesis and direct comparison of chromatographic data and mass spectra. Hexazinone is metabolized quickly and extensively in the biological systems studied, and is relatively nonpersistent in the environment.