Piperonyl butoxide
What is Piperonyl butoxide?
Piperonyl butoxide (CAS 51-03-6), commonly abbreviated as PBO, is a synergist used alongside insecticides to enhance their efficacy by inhibiting the enzymes insects use to break down active ingredients.
Where is Piperonyl butoxide used?
- Agricultural and public health pest control: incorporated into sprays, dusts, and aerosols to increase knockdown speed and residual activity of pyrethrins against a broad range of insects
- Home care: household insecticide sprays, mosquito coils, and foggers
- Personal care: lice treatment formulations enhancing permethrin or pyrethrin activity against head lice
- Professional pest control operators use PBO-containing concentrates for structural treatments where insecticide resistance is a concern.
Good to know: It does not function as a pesticide on its own but boosts the performance of pyrethrin- and pyrethroid-based formulations, allowing lower active ingredient loadings.
Commercial specifications
- Technical grade: purity 90–95% or higher
- Refined grades for pharmaceutical and personal care where regulatory compliance requires tighter quality documentation
Other Names (Synonyms)
5-propyl-4-(2,5,8-trioxa-dodecyl)-1,3-benzodioxole|(butylcarbityl)(6-propylpiperonyl)ether|(3,4-methylenedioxy-6-propylbenzyl) (butyl) diethylene glycol ether|2-(2-butoxyethoxy)ethyl 6-propylpiperonyl ether|butyl carbitol 6-propylpiperonyl ether|alpha-[2-(2-butoxyethoxy)ethoxy]-4,5-(methylenedioxy)-2-propyltoluene|alpha-(2-(2-n-butoxyethoxy)-ethoxy)-4,5-methylenedioxy-2-propyltoluene|6-propylpiperonyl butyl diethylene glycol ether|PBO