A series of divalent and oxabridged neonicotinoids were synthesized by reactions of nitromethylene analogues of imidacloprid and dialdehydes, and their structures were confirmed by (1)H NMR, (13)C NMR, high-resolution mass spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction analysis. The bioassays indicated that some of them were endowed with excellent insecticidal activities against cowpea aphid ( Aphis craccivora ), armyworm ( Pseudaletia separata Walker), and brown planthopper ( Nilaparvata lugens ). Divalent neonicotinoid 6 and oxabridged 8a had higher activities than imidacloprid against cowpea aphids and armyworm; furthermore, the activity of 8a was 40.4-fold higher than that of imidacloprid against imidacloprid-resistant brown planthopper.

To keep the nitro group in the cis position, a series of nitromethylene neonicotinoids containing a tetrahydropyridine ring with exo-ring ether modifications were designed and synthesized. All of the compounds were characterized and confirmed by 1H NMR, high-resolution mass spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and IR. The bioassay tests showed that some of them exhibited good insecticidal activities against pea aphids. On the basis of 10 nitromethylene derivatives, the quantitative structure-bioactivity relationship (QSAR) was analyzed and established. The results suggested that AlogP98 and Dipole_Mopac might be the important parameters related with biological activities.

To replace nitromethylene pharmacophore with a nitroconjugated system, a series of novel neonicotinoid analogues bearing five-membered aromatic heterocycles were designed and synthesized. Bioassays indicated that some of the synthesized compounds exhibited higher insecticidal activities than imidacloprid against cowpea aphids ( Aphis craccivora ), armyworm ( Pseudaletia separate Walker), Nephotettix bipunctatus (Fabricius), and small brown rice planthopper ( Laodelphasx striatellus ). Exhilaratingly, the activity levels of derivatives 13a and 13j rivaled that of imidacloprid.

Resistance development and limited lepidopteran activities call for the discovery of "super-neonicotinoids" solving these problems. Compounds with the cis-configuration offer an opportunity for further optimization. Fixing the nitro group in the cis-configuration provided a new approach for neonicotinoid molecular design. Introductions of the heterocycle or a bulky group are two synthesis concepts to fix the cis-configuration of the nitro group. The design, synthesis, bioactivity, and preliminary modes of action of five types of cis-neonicotinoids are reviewed. cis- and trans-neonicotinoids have some differences in bioactivities and modes of action. This study focused, especially, on the reaction diversities of nitromethylene analogues of imidacloprid with various aldehydes.

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Fipronil, which targets GABAA receptors (GABAARs), is the first phenylpyrazole insecticide widely used in crop protection and public hygiene. However, its high toxicity on fishes greatly limited its applications. In the present study, a series of computational methods including homology modeling, docking, and molecular dynamics simulation studies were integrated to explore the binding difference of fipronil with GABAARs from fruitfly and zebrafish systems. It was found that, in the zebrafish system, the H-bond between 6'Thr and fipronil exerted key effects on the recognition of fipronil, which was absent in the fruitfly system. On the other hand, in the fruitfly system, strong electrostatic interaction between 2'Ala and fipronil was favorable to the binding of fipronil but detrimental to the binding in the zebrafish system. These findings marked the binding difference of fipronil with different GABAARs, which might be helpful in designing selective insecticides against pests instead of fishes.

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Photodegradation of 1-((6-chloropyridin-3-yl)methyl)-7-methyl-8-nitro-1,2,3,5,6,7-hexahydroimidazo[1,2-a]pyridin-5-ol (IPPA152001) and 1-((6-chloropyridin-3-yl)methyl)-7-methyl-8-nitro-5-propoxy-1,2,3,5,6,7-hexahydroimidazo[1,2-a]pyridine (IPPA152004) was studied in distilled water; high-pressure mercury lamp and xenon lamp were used as light sources. The photolytic rate constants of the two compounds and their half-lives were calculated. Compared with imidacloprid, the order of photodegradation rate of three compounds was as follows: imidacloprid > IPPA152001 > or = IPPA152004. Mercury lamp light intensity was measured with chemical actinometers. The quantum yields for photodegradation of IPPA152001 and IPPA152004 in distilled water were also calculated. Photodegradation products of IPPA152004 were preliminarily identified on the basis of the spectral data of GC-MS, LC-TOF-ESI, and LC-MS-MS in positive mode. The photodegradation pathways of IPPA152004 were proposed according to the structures of photoproducts.