Pyrethrinic acid

Pyrethroids from Chiysanthemic Acid. The unsaturated side chains of the aHethrolone alcohol moieties of the natural pyrethrins are readily epoxidized by microsomal oxidases and converted to diols, thus detoxifying the insecticides. Esterification of chrysanthemic acid (9), R = CH3, with substituted ben2yl alcohols produces usehil insecticides barthrin [70-43-9J, 2-chloro-3,4-methylenedioxyben2yl (+)-i7j ,/n7 j -chrysanthemate, and dimethrin [70-38-2] 2,4-dimethylben2yl (+)-i7j ,/n7 j -chrysanthemate. These have alimited spectmm of insecticidal activity but are of very low mammalian toxicity, ie, rat oralLD s >20,000 mg/kg. 

Many other compounds are presendy in use a 1993 database search showed 27 active ingredients in 212 products registered by the U.S. EPA for human use as repellents or feeding depressants, including octyl bicycloheptene dicarboxamide (A/-2-ethylhexylbicyclo[2.2.1]-5-hepten-2,3-dicarboxamide), dipropyl isocinchomeronate (2,5-pyridine dicarboxyhc acid, dipropyl ester), dimethyl phthalate, oil of citroneUa, cedarwood oil, pyrethrins, and pine tar oil (2). Repellent—toxicant or biting depressant systems are available which are reasonably comfortable for the user and can protect completely against a number of pests for an extended period of time (2). 

Recently a new constituent of pyrethrum extract was described by Godin et al. (9) jasmolin II, the cir-pent-2-enylrethronyl ester of pyrethric acid. Jasmolin II differs from pyrethrin II in that the terminal double bond of the alcoholic side chain is saturated. This constituent forms about 3% of the total pyrethrins. Jasmolin II is less toxic to the insects tested than a similar concentration of pyrethrins. The pyrethrum extract was 16 to 17 times as toxic as jasmolin II to Aedes aegypti and Fhaedon cochlearia adults, less than 17 times... 

Pyrethrolone and cinerolone make up the keto alcohol moiety of the pyrethrins. Both of these keto alcohols have one asymmetric carbon at the 4-position and a double bond in the side chain which is capable of cis-trans isomerism in the 2-position. It is possible, therefore, to have four stereoisomers for each keto alcohol. Katsuda et al. (22) show that only the ( + ) form occurs in the natural esters. Elliott (8) has shown recently, by a new procedure developed to obtain pure ( + ) pyrethrolone, that the hitherto unidentified prye-throlone C is in reality pyrethrolone contaminated with thermally isomerized material. (+) Pyrethrolone forms a crystalline monohydrate from which the pure alcohol is obtained. The natural configurations of the keto alcohols in the esters are insecticidally more active, as is the case with the acid moiety. 

The detection of microgram quantities of pyrethrins, cinerins, keto alcohols, and chrysanthemum acids by paper chromatography and by application of these techniques to a study of possible metabolites enabled certain tentative conclusions that imply hydrolysis in insects of a large portion of the radioactive pyrethrins and synergists to corresponding keto alcohols and chrysanthemum acids. 

This is interesting when one considers the effect of synergists on the synthetics. All of the synthetics mentioned above are based on chrysanthemum monocarboxylic acid and in the case of allethrin, cyclethrin, and furethrin on the alcohol moiety there is only one double bond. When checked against the standard synergists, these synthetics do not show the degree of synergism shown by pyrethrins and this may be because of the fact that there is only one double bond for epoxidation, compared with two in the pyrethrolone radical, and therefore the synergist would not block this epoxidation step as effectively. 

Figure 7. Infrared spectrum of pyrethrin I Isolated after dual partition chromatography First partition column. Celite-acetonitrile-hexane Second partition column. Silicic acid-nitromethane-hexane (with 5% acetone). Corresponds to peak 3 of gas chromatographic separation of pyrethrum mixture...

The columns labeled PI reflect the total of pyrethrin I and cinerin I just as in the AO AC procedure. The gas chromatographic results are in terms of the total amount of the mixture but were analyzed as the methyl ester of chrysanthemic acid. The present state of the determination of PII (pyrethrin II plus cinerin II) is not complete because of the erratic extractability of the dicarboxylic acids from the hydrolysis mixture. The gas chromatographic pattern is distinct and straightforward. As the extraction procedure for PII is improved, the gas chromatographic method will be more applicable. The present recovery of PII is in the range of 80 to 90%. The average of the values shown in Table II for PI is 98.0%. 

Purpuric acid lb 174 Pyrazolidine derivatives la 426 3,5-Pyrazolidindione derivatives lb 20 Pyrazolinone derivatives lb 277 Pyrazolin-5-one derivatives lb 327,329 Pyrazone lb 332 Pyrene lb 379 PyrethrinI lb 18 Pyrethrin II lb 18 Pyrethroids lb 86,87 Pyrethroid insecticides la 359 Pyridine alkaloids la 66 lb 279 Pyridine derivatives lb 119,244 Pyridinium carbinols lb 65 Pyridinium glycols lb 65 Pyridoxal la 157,158,253 Pyridoxamine la 253 Pyridoxine la 253... 

Of the three piperonyl compounds that have received considerable commercial attention as insecticides, a method of analysis is available only for piperonyl butoxide (41). This product gives a blue color on treatment with a reagent comprising tannic acid in a mixture of phosphoric and acetic acids. Satisfactory results can be obtained in the presence of small amounts of pyrethrins, but larger amounts tend to obscure the color. A modification of the method (21) which overcomes this difficulty is the removal of the pyrethrins by saponification with alcoholic sodium hydroxide prior to carrying out the test. 

Fujitani [6] separated the insecticidally active syrupy ester from pyrethrum flowers in 1909 and named the ester pyrethron. Yamamoto [7, 8] subjected the hydrolysis product of this pyrethron to ozone oxidation, and isolated Iram-caronic acid and aldehyde (1 and 2, respectively, Fig. 3). Although Yamamoto did not determine the structure of this acid, he presumed it to be pyrethron acid (Fig. 3). Eventually, the presence of a cyclopropane ring in the molecule of natural pyrethrins became clear for the first time in 1923. 

For the absolute configuration of the acid moieties, that of chrysanthemic acid was elucidated by Crombie et al. [13] in 1954 and that of chrysanthemum acid was determined by Inoue et al. [14] in 1955, respectively. The absolute configuration of the alcohol moiety was found by Katsuda et al. [15] in 1958. The complete elucidation of the absolute configuration of natural pyrethrins (Fig. 6) has led to the development of new useful synthetic products based on this model. 

There are two sites where stereospecificity must be maintained in order to achieve optimal insecticidal action. As seen in the acid moieties of the natural pyrethrin esters, all pyrethroids that possess a cyclopropane ring must have the If ... 

Fig. 1 Natural pyrethrins and their acid and alcohol moieties...

Chrysanthemic acid (1) consists of ten carbons, suggesting that it is a monoterpene. The cyclopropane ring of the acid moiety is a feature of pyrethrins. Rivera et al. isolated chrysanthemyl pyrophosphate synthase (CPPase or alternatively referred to as chrysanthemyl diphosphate synthase) underlying the formation of chrysanthemyl pyrophosphate (16) containing a cyclopropane ring from two molecules of dimethylallyl pyrophosphate (15) (DMAPP) and the gene thereof [21]. They found that the reaction involves the cF-2-3 cyclopropanation of DMAPPs in a non-head-to-tail manner. 

Fig. 3 Biosynthetic pathways to pyrethrins. The identified enzymes involved in biosynthesis are shown in orange. Note that green leaf volatiles and the plant hormone jasmonic acid share the oxylipin pathway. The phosphate moiety is indicated as P ...

Crowley MP, Godin PJ, Inglis HS et al (1962) The biosynthesis of the pyrethrins . I. The incorporation of 14C-labelled compounds into the flowers of Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium and the biosynthesis of chrysanthemum monocarboxylic acid. Biochim Biophys Acta 60 312-319... 

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