Roundup

[Jim Steffens]

Glyphosate is a salt, but it is not rendered inactive when the cation and
anion dissociate.  The anion, N-phosphonomethylglycine, is the active
portion and is active as long at is soluble.  The cation, isopropylammonium,
merely aids in uptake into plants.  Complexed with calcium or heavy metals
in the soil, N-phosphonomethylglycine is insoluble and can't be taken up by
plants. When the cation is sodium, potassium or ammonium, it is still
active.

Uptake of Glyphosate is mainly through leaf surfaces.  Farmers can spray
their fields and plant seeds on those fields two weeks later.  If you're
spraying to control invasive weeds among milkweeds, be sure that the
milkweeds aren't emerging at the same time as the weeds you're trying to
control.

Plants have to biosynthesize all their amino acids.  People and chipmunks
get aromatic amino acids from their diets.  Most animals are the same, but I
can't tell you if some animals must biosynthesize aromatic amino acids.

N-phosphonomethylglycine is what's known as a chelator (from the Greek word
for "claw").  This means that it can complex tightly with calcium,
magnesium, and heavy metals (iron, copper, zinc, etc.).  So although its
acute toxicity is low, at high concentrations it will upset the availability
of these metals in the cell.

Kurt Jacobs <kurtjacobs at earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:5twB4.18154$Nn6.684546 at newsread2.prod.itd.earthlink.net...
> I was all ready and everything to drink some to prove my point, but then i
> found out that Glyphosate is chemically
> N-phosphonomethylglycine and it blocks the action of the enzyme
> 5-enolpyruvykshikimate-3-phosphate Synthase which catalyses an important
> step in the synthesis of aromatic amino acids, so i reconsidered due to
the
> severe consequences of that.  Of course i wouldnt drink it.  It is not a
> beverage.
>
> "Dr. Rev Chuck, MD, PA" <cdub at erols.com> wrote in message
> news:38D5A06B.35D1 at erols.com...
> >
> > Would you drink it?
>
>