Synthesis and Insecticidal Activities: cis‐Nitenpyram Analogs with 1,4‐Dihydropyridine Scaffold

By means of multicomponent reactions, via Michael addition, nucleophilic addition, using nitenpyram, substituted aromatic aldehydes, and cyanoacetate compounds or propanedinitrile, a new series of cis‐configuration nitenpyram analogs ( 1a‐1k ) were synthesized by introducing the 1,4‐dihydropyridine scaffold pharmacophore, as shown in Scheme 1. The structures of all compounds were confirmed by IR, ¹HNMR, ¹³C NMR, and elemental analysis. The preliminary bioassay showed that most of the target compounds exhibited good mortality against Aphis craccivora at 500 mg/L.     

cis-Nitenpyram Analogues Bearing Acyloxy Segments Anchored on the Tetrahydropyrimidine Ring: Synthesis,Insecticidal Activities and Molecular Docking Studies

A series of novel cis-nitenpyram analogues bearing acyloxy segments anchored on the tetrahydropyrimidine ring was designed and synthesized. Preliminary bioassays indicate that all the nitenpyram analogues 3a―3n exhibit good insecticidal activities against Nilaparvata lugens and Aphis medicaginis at 100 mg/L, while analogue 3k affords the best activity in vitro and the lethal concentration 50(LC₅₀) values(0.187, 0.214 mg/L) are close to that of nitenpyram. The structure activity relationships(SARs) suggest that their insecticidal potency is influenced by the species of acyloxy segments. The docking results reveal that analogue 3k forms stronger hydrogen-bonding with the nAChR, which explain the structure activity relationships(SARs) observed in vitro and imply that the strategies of our designed nitenpyram analogues are feasible.     

Design,Synthesis, and Insecticidal Activity of 1,5‐Diphenyl‐1‐pentanone Analogues

Three series of novel 1,5‐diphenyl‐1‐pentanone derivatives were designed and synthesized. Their structures were characterized by IR, ¹H NMR techniques, and elemental analysis. The insecticidal activities of the new compounds were preliminarily evaluated. The bioassay results indicated that the compounds X11 – X30 displayed better aphicidal activity against Aphis gossypii than compounds X1 – X10 and the lead compound (E)‐1,5‐diphenyl‐1‐penten‐1‐one ( A ). The inhibitory rates of compounds X6 and X29 were 100% against Plutella xylostella (L.) at 600 mg·L^?1. Compounds X12 , X13, X19 , X24, X25 , X26 and X27 showed higher insecticidal activity against Tetranychus cinnabarinus (Boisduval) at 600 mg·L^?1 than the lead compound ( A ).     

Synthesis and Insecticidal Activities of cis‐Configuration Nitenpyram Analogues with Benzoyl Hydrazines

To research on the structure–activity relationships of our designed neonicotinoid compounds, a series of novel cis‐configuration nitenpyram analogues with benzoyl hydrazines were designed and synthesized. The structures of all compounds were confirmed by IR, ¹H NMR, MS, and elemental analysis. Preliminary bioassays indicated that all the analogues exhibited good insecticidal activities against Nilaparvata legen and Aphis medicagini at 500 mg L^?1.     

Synthesis,Insecticidal Activities and Molecular Docking Studies on cis-Nitenpyram Analogues with a Flexible Amido Segment Anchored on Tetrahydropyrimidine Ring

To make further studies on the difference of cis-nitenpyram analogues, a series of cis-nitenpyram com- pounds containing a flexible amido segment anchored on tetrahydropyrimidine ring was designed and synthesized. Preliminary bioassays indicate that all the analogues exhibit a mortality of 100% at 100 rag/L, and the analogue 4d shows the best activity against Nilaparvata lugens and Myzus persicae, with a mortality of 100% at 4 mg/L （LCs0=0.172 rag/L）. The structure activity relationship studies show that insecticidal activities of the analogues are affected by the kinds and size of substituent R. In addition, the molecular docking simulations reveal that compouds 4 with a flexible amido segment on tetrahydropyrimidine ring show their different binding affinities for the nicotinic acetyleholine receptor（nAChR） of insect and compoud 4d shows stronger hydrogen-bonding with nAChR, which may provide the structure-activity relationship observed in vitro.     

Synthesis of Some New 1,4‐Dihydropyridine Derivatives through a Facile One‐pot Hantzsch Condensation Catalyzed by Triethylamine

A facile and efficient synthesis of new 1,4‐dihydropyridine derivatives was reported via Hantzsch three‐component condensation reaction of aldehydes or formylphenylboronic acids, ethyl acetoacetate, and ammonium acetate in the presence of a catalytic amount of triethylamine under solvent‐free conditions. The method described here offers several advantages including high yields, short reaction times, and simple work‐up procedure.     

Strain‐induced crystallization and strength of elastomers. I. cis‐1,4‐polybutadiene

Crosslinked samples of cis‐1,4‐polybutadiene (BR) were crystallized at low temperatures and then slowly melted. From volume changes and differential scanning calorimetry measurements, the degree of crystallization in the unstrained state was estimated to be about 20%, much lower than for natural rubber (NR). Crystallization and melting were followed in stretched samples by corresponding changes in tensile stress. Crystallization was faster at higher strains, and the melting temperature was raised significantly on stretching but less than for NR, and the decrease in stress on crystallizing was smaller. Measurements of tensile strength were made over a wide temperature range and showed a marked drop with heating to temperatures of 40–60 °C, falling to values of only 1–2 MPa. A similar drop in strength occurred in NR vulcanizates at high temperatures and was attributed to failure to crystallize on stretching (A. G. Thomas & J. M. Whittle, Rubber Chem Technol 1970, 43, 222; A. N. Gent, S. Kawahara & J. Zhao, Rubber Chem Technol 1998, 71, 668). At ambient temperatures, where strain‐induced crystallization occurred, the strength of BR samples was only about one‐half of that of similar NR materials. This was attributed to less strain‐induced crystallinity in BR (verified by X‐ray studies), paralleling the lower amount developed at low temperatures. We speculate that the higher density of molecular entanglements in BR than in NR prevents BR from crystallizing to the same degree as NR. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 39: 811–817, 2001     

Highly cis‐1,4 selective polymerization of isoprene promoted by α‐diimine cobalt(II) chlorides

A series of 1,2‐bis(arylimino)acenaphthylenes ( L1 – L5 ) was synthesized and reacted with CoCl₂ to afford the corresponding cobalt complexes LCoCl₂ ( C1 – C5 ). All cobalt complexes have been fully characterized and in the case of C1 by single crystal X‐ray diffraction; its molecular structure reveals a distorted tetrahedral geometry. On activation with AlEtCl₂, C1 – C5 efficiently polymerize isoprene to give polyisoprenes (PIs) with high contents of cis‐1,4 units (between 90% and 94%). The influence of reaction temperature and [Al]/[Co] molar ratio on both catalytic performance and the microstructural properties of the PIs is investigated. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016 , 54, 3609–3615.     

Crystallinity and crystalline phase orientation of poly(1,4‐cis‐isoprene) from Hevea brasiliensis and Taraxacum kok‐saghyz

Crystallization is studied for poly(isoprene‐1,4‐cis) from Hevea brasiliensis (natural rubber [NR]) and from taraxacum kok‐saghyz, mainly by collecting wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction patterns after processing and stretching. Although rubber samples before stretching are generally fully amorphous, crystallization can be induced in NR samples by processing at room temperature under moderate pressure. This phenomenon is possibly associated with nucleation by saturated fatty acid components. For rubber samples being fully amorphous in the undeformed state, strain‐induced crystallization occurs only at high strain ratios (α > 4), leading to high degrees of crystalline phase orientation (f_c > 0.9 for α = 5). Rubber samples presenting some crystallinity already in the unstretched state, on the contrary, reach much lower degrees of axial orientation, even for high strain ratios (f_c < 0.7 for α = 5). These differences in crystallinity and in crystalline phase orientations produce large differences in stress–strain behavior of the rubber. By room temperature processing, the considered NR samples can also develop an unreported disordered crystalline modification, with low intensity of 120 and 121 reflections. This disordered crystalline modification, which is also maintained after axial stretching procedures, can rationalized by a structural disorder along the b axis, possibly associated with statistical sequences of A⁺TA^? or A^?T A⁺ conformations for poly(isoprene‐1,4‐cis) chains. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Multicomponent Reactions for Diverse Synthesis of N‐Substituted and NH 1,4‐Dihydropyridines

The multicomponent reactions of aldehydes, electron deficient alkynes and amines have been successfully performed to yield a number of symmetrical 2,6‐unsubstituted 1,4‐dihydropyridines (1,4‐DHPs). This method has been found generally applicable for the synthesis of both N‐substituted and N‐unsubstituted 1,4‐DHPs by employing secondary amine to activate the alkyne component via enaminoester intermediates. The present method runs through an enamine type activation, which is different from the known approach employing AcOH as solvent.     

β‐Enaminonitriles in Heterocyclic Synthesis: Synthesis of New 1,4‐Dihydropyridine,Tetrahydropyridine, Nicotinonitrile and Aminopyrazole Derivatives

A series of new pyridine, dihydropyridine, tetrahydropyridine, nicotinonitrile and pyrazole derivatives with expected biological activity were prepared through the reactions of 3‐aminopent‐2‐enenitrile 1 with some electrophilic reagents, nucleophilic reagents, and aryl diazonium salts. The newly synthesized compounds were characterized by IR, ¹H‐NMR, ¹³C‐NMR and mass spectral studies.     

Synthesis,Insecticidal Assay and Molecular Docking Study of Novel Neonicotinoids N‐Oxide Analogues

Eight novel neonicotinoids N‐oxide analogues were designed and synthesized. All the compounds have been identified by ¹H NMR and HRMS. The N‐oxide analogues exhibit high insecticidal activity against cowpea aphids (Aphis craccivora) at 250 mg·L^?1. The influence of N‐oxide formation on the biological activity was elucidated by computational chemical study, and it indicated that the water bridge hydrogen bonding network was broken due to the influence of the O atom connected with the pyridine ring.     

Replacement of benzene with regulators for the catalyzed polymerization of 1,3‐butadiene to high cis‐1,4‐polybutadiene

The polymerization regulators mesitylene and 1,3,5‐trimethoxybenzene were investigated as suitable substitutes for benzene in the cobalt(II) octanoate/diethylaluminum chloride/water‐catalyzed polymerization of 1,3‐butadiene to high cis‐1,4‐polybutadiene. The propagation rates were reduced by 50% with the inclusion of 18 mM mesitylene or 0.17 mM trimethoxybenzene. Mesitylene was found to be an inefficient polymerization regulator because it reduced the propagation rate by a combination of regulation and destruction of the active catalyst complex. Not only did trimethoxybenzene reduce the propagation rate by effective regulation at low concentration, it also increased the percentage activity of cobalt to 200%, indicating that two polymer chains were propagating simultaneously from each active center. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 2244–2255, 2001     

Synthesis of Functionalized 1‐Benzamido‐1,4‐dihydropyridines via a One‐Pot Two‐Step Four‐Component Reaction

The one‐pot four‐component reaction of benzohydrazide, acetylenedicarboxylate, aromatic aldehydes and malononitrile in ethanol with triethylamine as base catalyst afforded functionalized 1‐benzamido‐1,4‐dihydropyridines in satisfactory yields. Under similar conditions, picolinohydrazide or nicotinohydrazide can also be successfully utilized in the reactions to give corresponding functionalized 1,4‐dihydropyridines. ¹H NMR data indicated that an equilibrium of cis/trans‐conformations exist in 1‐benzamido‐1,4‐dihydropyridines.     

Homology Modeling and Molecular Docking Studies of (S)‐Scoulerine 9‐O‐Methyltransferase from Coptis chinensis

(S)‐Scoulerine 9‐O‐methyltransferase (SMT), belonging to the S‐adenosyl‐L‐methionine (SAM)‐dependent O‐methyltransferase family, is an essential enzyme in the berberine biosynthetic pathways. In order to study the interactions of SMT with its substrate and further to understand the catalytic mechanism and substrate specificity, a three dimensional model of SMT from Coptis chinensis was constructed by homology modeling using the crystal structure of caffeic acid/5‐hydroxyferulic acid 3/5‐O‐methyltransferase (COMT) as a template. The three dimensional structure of SMT, which was mainly composed of α‐helices and some β‐sheets, was similar to that of COMT. In contrast with COMT, the non‐conserved residues in the substrate binding pocket of SMT might be responsible for their differences in the substrate specificity. Val119 and Asp254 in SMT were the key residues for orienting substrate for methylation as both residues had H‐bonds with (S)‐scoulerine. The methylation of (S)‐scoulerine involved deprotonation of the 9‐hydroxyl group by His253 and Asp254 in SMT followed by a nucleophilic attack on the SAM‐methyl resulting in the product, (S)‐tetrahydrocolumbamine.     

Structural Diversity in the Self‐assembly of Cd(II) Complexes Containing 2,6‐Dimethyl‐3,5‐dicyano‐4‐(4‐pyridyl)‐1,4‐dihydropyridine

The syntheses, structures and properties of the complexes [CdBr₂( L )₂·4H₂O]_n [ L = 2,6‐dimethyl‐3,5‐dicyano‐4‐(4‐pyridyl)‐1,4‐dihydropyridine], 1 and [Cd(SCN)₂( L )₂(H₂O)]_n, 2 , are reported. In polymeric complexes 1 — 2 , the L ligands bridge the metal centers through the pyrimidyl and cyano nitrogen atoms forming 1‐D double‐stranded chain and zigzag chain, respectively. The L ligands in complex 1 act as κ1, κ1‐bidentate bridging ligand, whereas the L ligands in complex 2 act as κ1‐monodentae and κ1, κ1‐bidentate bridging ligand. The molecules of these complexes are interlinked through various weak interactions that form the packed structure. All the complexes exhibit emissions which may be tentatively assigned as intraligand (IL) π→π* transitions.     

Synthesis and Insecticidal Activities of 1,3,5‐Trisubstituted‐1,3,5‐hexahydrotriazine‐2‐N‐nitroimines

A new series of 1,3,5‐trisubstituted‐1,3,5‐hexahydrotriazine‐2‐N‐nitroimines ( 3a – 3j ) were designed and synthesized as novel neonicotinoid analogues, and their structures were characterized by ¹H NMR, IR, elemental analysis and MS. The preliminary bioassay tests showed that most of the target compounds had good insecticidal activities against Nilaparvata lugens as well as Aphis medicaginis at 500 mg/L, while compound 3i had 100% mortality against Nilaparvata lugens at 20 mg/L.     

Lipase-Catalyzed Synthesis,Antioxidant Activity,Antimicrobial Properties and Molecular Docking Studies of Butyl Dihydrocaffeate

Green chemistry approaches, such as lipase-catalyzed esterification, are promising methods for obtaining valuable chemical compounds. In the case of the use of lipases, unlike in aqueous environments, the processes of the ester bond formations are encountered in organic solvents. The aim of the current research was to carry out the lipase-catalyzed synthesis of an ester of dihydrocaffeic acid. The synthesized compound was then evaluated for antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. However, the vast majority of its antioxidant activity was retained, which was demonstrated by means of DPPH· (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and CUPRAC (cupric ion reducing antioxidant capacity) methods. Regarding its antimicrobial properties, the antifungal activity against Rhizopus oryzae is worth mentioning. The minimum inhibitory and fungicidal concentrations were 1 and 2 mM, respectively. The high antifungal activity prompted the use of molecular docking studies to verify potential protein targets for butyl ester of dihydrocaffeic ester. In the case of one fungal protein, namely 14-α sterol demethylase B, it was observed that the ester had comparable binding energy to the triazole medication, isavuconazole, but the interacted amino acid residues were different.