Synthesis and Chemistry of Agrochemicals VI - American Chemical

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Chapter 21

4-Nitroimino-1,3,5-oxadiazinanes: A New Type of Neonicotinoid Insecticides 1

1

1

P. Maienfisch , A . Rindlisbacher , H. Huerlimann , J . Haettenschwiler , A . K . Desai , V . S. Ekkundi , and V . D. Gangan 1

2

2

2

1

Research Chemistry, Optimisation, Syngenta Crop Protection A G , W R O 1060.1.14, CH-4002 Basel, Switzerland Hindustan Ciba-Geigy Ltd., Goregaon-Bombay, India 2

Our research on neonicotinoids has resulted in the discovery of insecticidally highly active 4-nitroimino-l,3,5-oxadiazinanes. A concise, practical synthesis of these compounds has been developed employing a Mannich type cyclization reaction of a monosubstituted nitroguanidine with formaldehyde in the presence of formic acid. Structure-activity relationships revealed that replacement of the nitroguanidine moiety by cyanoguanidine, urea or thiourea strongly decreased the insecticidal activity, while a methyl group as the pharmacophore substituent is clearly superior to a hydrogen atom, an acyl group or a C -C alkyl group. Among these novel 4-nitroimino-l,3,5-oxadiazinanes, thiamethoxam was identified as the best compound and selected for worldwide development. 2

4

An important milestone in the history of modern insect control is marked by the discovery of the neonicotinoids (7). As the first representative, imidacloprid © 2002 American Chemical Society In Synthesis and Chemistry of Agrochemicals VI; Baker, D., et al.; ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2001.

219


220

1 (2) was introduced to the market in 1991 and since then, the neonicotinoids have become the fastest growing chemical class of insecticides. This tremendous success can be explained by their unique chemical and biological properties, such as broad-spectrum insecticidal activity, low application rates, excellent systemic characteristics, new mode of action (agonists of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors) and favorable safety profile. Ciba (since 1996: Novartis; now Syngenta) initiated a research program on neonicotinoids in 1985. A t that time, little was known about the influence of the nitroimino heterocycle on the biological activity. We therefore prepared compounds 2, 3 and 4, possessing an additional heteroatom in the nitroimino heterocycle (3). The design of these compounds was directed by the hypothesis that the introduction of an additional heteroatom may lead to stronger binding to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and/or improve the pharmocokinetic behavior. Bioassays revealed that among these compounds, the 4-nitroimino-1,3,5oxadiazinane 3 possessed the highest insecticidal activity. Therefore, we initiated an optimization program to prepare a series of compounds 5 and to define the structure activity profile of this novel type of neonicotinoids.

Ν

2 X = NCH 3 Χ =0 4 X =S

NH

α 1 Imidacloprïd

~cn Thiamethoxam

3

Variation of the pharmacophore

Ν

Het^l

Variation of the heterocyclic group

Ah Variation of the pharmacophore substituent

Our research resulted in the discovery of thiamethoxam 6. This compound is the first commercially available second-generation neonicotinoid and belongs to the thianicotinyl subclass (4-6). It was first synthesized in 1991 and has been developed worldwide for use in more than 50 crops. After foliar, soil or seed treatment application, thiamethoxam provides excellent control of a broad range of commercially important pests, such as aphids, whiteflies, thrips, rice hoppers, Colorado potato beetle, flea beetles, wireworms, leaf miners as well as some lepidopterous species. Low use rates, flexible application methods, excellent efficacy, and the favorable safety profile make this new insecticide well suited for modern integrated pest management programs in many cropping systems.

In Synthesis and Chemistry of Agrochemicals VI; Baker, D., et al.; ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2001.

221

Thiamethoxam is marketed since 1998 under the trademarks Actara® for foliar and soil treatment and Cruiser® for seed treatment.


Chemistry At the start of our research, no practical synthetic route for the preparation of 4-nitroimino-l,3,5-oxadiazinanes was known. After some experimentation, we discovered a broadly applicable method for the synthesis of 3,5-disubstituted-4nitroimino-1,3,5-oxadiazinanes (3), Thus, treatment of S-methyl-N-nitroisothiourea (7) with amines 8 in ethanol at 50°C or 80°C afforded N monosubstituted-N'-nitroguanidines 9. Heating of compounds 9 in a 1:1 mixture of formaldehyde and formic acid for several hours to 80°C provided the 4nitroimino-l,3,5-oxadiazinanes 10 in good to excellent yields. Replacement of formic acid by other acids such as acetic acid, trifluoroacetic acid and HC1 resulted in a strong decrease of the yields. Compounds 10 could be coupled with heterocyelylmethyl chlorides 11 to afford the 4-nitroimino-l,3,5-oxadiazinanes 12. Best yields for these alkylation reactions were obtained using 2.5 equivalents (eq.) of potassium carbonate as a base and dimethylformamide as solvent (Figure 1).

Variation of the pharmacophore substituent The methodology described above (Figure 1) was successfully applied to the synthesis of a series of 2-chlorothiazol-5-ylmethyl substituted 4-nitroimino1,3,5-oxadiazinanes 13 as illustrated in Table 1. The preparation of 3-alkoxymethyl-5-(2-chlorothiazol-5-ylmethyl)-4nitroimino-l,3,5-oxadiazinanes 16 was achieved as shown in Figure 2. Mannich type cyclization of nitroguanidine afforded 4-nitroimino-l,3,5-oxadiazinane (14), which could be selectively monoalkylated with the chloride 11a (7). Under optimized reaction conditions (1.2 eq. 11a, 1.0 eq. K O C ( C H ) , DMF-pyridine 4:1, -5°C to r.t.) and a special work-up procedure (crude dissolved in CH C1 , extracted with 2 N NaOH, after acidification of the aqueous phase with HC1 to pH = 4 the product separates as pale brown solid) compound 15 was obtained in 60% yield. Deprotonation of 15 with NaH in D M F followed by treatment with an alkoxymethyl chloride afforded the target compounds 16 in moderate to good yields (Table 2) 3

3

2


2


222

13

12

Figure 1. Preparation of 4-nitroimino-1,3,5-oxadiazinanes (R = alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, benzyl)

Table 1: Structure and chemical data of compounds 9,10 and 13 Compounds 9 R CH

CH CH

Compounds 13

mp [°C]

Yield [%1

mp [°C]

Yield

[%]

[%1

Mp [°C]

97

160-162

71

140-142

71

140-141

Yield

3

Compounds 10

87

146-148

87

96-97

73

110-112

CH CH2CH2

78

98-99

85

79-80

68

80-82

3

2

3

(CH ) CH

95

155-157

54

101-103

44

126-128

CH CH2CH2CH2

65

74-76

82

86-87

47

71-73

HC=C-CH

67

176-177

42

99-100

44

176-177

87

120-122

81

95-96

61

amorphous

3

2

3

2

CH OCH CH 3

2

2

C6H5-CH2

87

183-185

88

104-105

72

104-106

4-Cl-C H -CH

93

194-195

86

140-141

65

106-108

6

4

2



223

16

Figure 2. Preparation of 3-alkoxymethyl-derivatives 16 Table 2: Structure and chemical data of compounds 16 Compounds 16 Yield [Ψο]

R'

mp [°C]

45

102-104

(CH ) CH

44

amorphous

CH3CH2CH2CH2

61

amorphous

H C=CH-CH

48

amorphous

36

amorphous

C6H5-CH2

11

amorphous

4-CI-QH4

36

135-145

CH

3

3

2

2

HC=C-CH

2

2

Acylated derivatives 17,18,19 and 20 were prepared as shown in Figure 3. Compound 15 was first treated at 5-10°C with 1.2 eq. of NaH in anhydrous D M F and pyridine, then 2.5-3.0 eq. of an acid chloride, a chloro formate or a chloro oxoacetate were added and the reaction was stirred for 3-5 h at room temperature (r.t.) to afford compounds 17,18 and 20 in moderate yields (Table 3). In the case of isocyanates as coupling reagents, the reaction did not occur at r.t. but needed heating to 70-80°C for 5 to 6 hours. Compound 19 could only be obtained in low yields from 15 and phenyl isocyanate (Figure 3).

Variation of the pharmacophore Some variations of the pharmacophore (N-C(N)=X) have been performed. The cyanoimino derivative 23 was prepared starting from N-methyl-N'-



224

mp: 95-96°C

mp: 154-155°C

Figure 3. Preparation of 3-acyl-derivatives 17,18,19 and 20

Table 3: Structure and chemical data of compounds 17 and 18 Compounds 17 R'

Yield [Ψο]

mp [°C]

Compounds 18 Yield [Ψο]

mp[°C]

29

124-125

8

125-126

51

152-153

42

amorphous

(CH ) CH

36

158-159

-

-

CH CH CH CH

36

158-159

51

amorphous

(CH ) C

22

144-145

38

138-139

C H

5

148-149

-

-

CH

3

CH CH 3

3

3

2

3

6

2

2

5

3

2

2


225 cyanoguanidine 21, which was obtained in 56% from sodium dicyanamide and methylamine. The conversion of 21 to 3-methyl-4-cyanoimino-1,3,5oxadiazinane (22) was not achieved under the reaction conditions applied for the preparation of the 4-nitroimino-l,3,5-oxadiazinanes 10. However, treatment of 21 with a large excess of aqueous formaldehyde at pH 8 gave compound 22 in moderate yield. Alkylation of 22 with the chloride 11a afforded the cyanoiminoanalogue 23.


NaN(CN),

23

Figure 4. Preparation of the 4-cyanoimino-l,3,5-oxadiazinane 23 The urea 24 and the thiourea 25 were prepared starting from thiamethoxam 6. Treatment of 6 with 1 equivalent of potassium hydroxide in tert. butanol provided the urea 24, which was reacted with Lawesson's reagent to yield the thiourea 25 in 13% yield. Replacement of Lawesson's reagent by phosphorus pentasulfide resulted in much better yields in the sulfuration reaction.

25

Figure 5. Preparation of urea 24 and thiourea 25


226


Biology Approximately two hundred compounds were prepared by the synthetic procedures described in the preceding section. The compounds were tested in our primary screening at 100, 50 and 12 ppm against Diabrotica balteata (D.b.) and Aphis craccivora (A.c.) for contact/feeding activity and at 12 ppm against Myzus persicae (M.p.) for systemic activity: Diabrotica balteata (contact/feeding activity): Maize seedlings are placed on filter paper in plastic cups, and 3 ml of the test solutions are pipetted onto them. In addition, seedlings were treated in a spray chamber and infested with 12-15 2 instar (L2) larvae of D.b. (banded cucumber beetle). The samples are checked for mortality 6 days after treatment. Aphis craccivora (contact/feeding activity): Pea seedlings, infested with an A.c. (black bean aphid) population of mixed ages, are treated with the test solutions in a spray chamber and checked for mortality 6 days after treatment. Myzus persicae (systemic activity): Pea seedlings, infested with a M.p. (green peach aphid) population of mixed ages, were placed directly in the test solutions and assessed for mortality 6 days after introduction. The biological results are shown in Tables 4 and 5. The activity against D.b. and A.c. is reported as A (80-100% mortality at 12 ppm), Β (80-100% mortality at 50 ppm), C (80-100% mortality at 100 ppm) and D ( Br, H »

Ο > N-CH

SFT, OR'

3>

S, C H

2

Figure 6. General structure-activity profile for 4-nitroimino-l,3,5oxadiazinanes

Conclusions In the present work, the synthesis and insecticidal activity of a series of novel 4-nitroimino-l,3,5-oxadiazinanes are described. The structure-activity profile of these compounds demonstrated the rather limited variability of the pharmacophore N-C(N)=X. Activity was only found if the functional group X is strongly electron-withdrawing and has a hydrogen accepting head like N - N 0 and N - C N . As pharmacophore substituent, a methyl group is clearly superior to a hydrogen group, an acyl group or a C - C alkyl group. Our research on 4-nitroimino-l,3,5-oxadiazinanes has resulted in the discovery of thiamethoxam. This compound has broad-spectrum insecticidal activity and offers excellent control of a wide variety of commercially important pests in most crops. Thiamethoxam has been marketed since 1998 under the trademarks Actara® for foliar and soil treatment and Cruiser® for seed treatment. 2

2

4


230

References 1. 2


3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Yamamoto, I.; Casida J.E. (Eds). Nicotinoid Insecticides and the Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor, Springer-Verlag: Tokyo, 1999; pp 1-300. Elbert, Α.; Overbeck, H . ; Iwaya, K . ; Tsuboi, S. Imidacloprid, a novel systemic nitromethylene analog insecticide for crop protection. Proc. Brighton Crop Prot. Conf. - Pests and Diseases. 1990; V o l 1, pp 21-28. Maienfisch, P.; Huerlimann, H.; Rindlisbacher, Α.; Gsell, L.; Dettwiler, H . ; Haettenschwiler, J.; Sieger, E.; Walti, M. The Discovery of Thiamethoxam - A Second Generation Neonicotinoid. Pest Manag. Sci. 2001, 57, 16 5-176. Senn, R.; Hofer, D.; Hoppe, T.; Angst, M . ; Wyss, P.; Brandi, F.; Maienfisch, P.; Zang, L . ; White, S. C G A 293343: a novel broad-spectrum insecticide supporting sustainable agriculture worldwide. Proc. Brighton Crop Prot. Conf. - Pests and Diseases. 1998; V o l 1, pp 27-36. Maienfisch, P.; Brandl, F.; Kobel, W.; Rindlisbacher, Α.; Senn, R. C G A 293'343: a novel, broad-spectrum neonicotinoid insecticide. In: Yamamoto, I.; Casida, J.E. (Eds). Nicotinoid Insecticides and the Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor. Springer-Verlag, Tokyo, 1999; pp 177-209. Maienfisch, P.; Gsell, L . ; Rindlisbacher, A . Synthesis and insecticidal activity of C G A 293343 - a novel broad-spectrum insecticide. Pestic. Sci. 1999, 55, 351-355. Goebel, T.; Gsell, L . ; Hueter, O.F.; Maienfisch, P.; Naef, R.; O'Sullivan, A.C.; Pitterna, T.; Rapold, T.; Seifert, G.; Senn, M.; Szczepanski, H . ; Wadsworth, D.J. Synthetic approaches towards C G A 293'343: a novel broad-spectrum insecticide. Pestic. Sci. 1999, 55, 355-357.


Synthesis and Chemistry of Agrochemicals VI - American Chemical

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