Introduction
Investigations of chemicals that exert an anticholinesterase action on the nervous system similar to
organophosphates led in the 1950s to the development of the carbamate insecticides. Carbamate
insecticides are derivatives of carbamic acid, HOC(O)NH2. They have the general formula shown below
where R is an alcohol, oxime or phenol and R1
is hydrogen or a methyl group.