Illustrated Glossary of Organic Chemistry

DDT (dichlorophenyltrichloroethane): A molecule used widely as to kill mosquitoes, but now banned worldwide because of the damage it causes to ecosystems. Despite its five carbon-chlorine polar covalent bonds, DDT is a hydrophobic (lipophilic) molecule. Its hydrophobicity is key to its insecticidal properties, but also key in its bioaccumulation in fatty tissues. DDT and other pesticides inspired Rachael Carson's 1962 book Silent Spring.