Nicotinoid Insecticides and the Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor, 1999

The nicotinoids are the most important new class of pesticides, joining the organophosphorus compounds, methylcarbamates, and pyrethroids as the major insecticides. Recently, imidacloprid and related nicotinoids have begun replacing organophosphorus and methylcarbamate compounds as insecticides to control insect pests on major crops. Nicotinoids act on the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, as does naturally occurring nicotine, but with remarkable effectiveness against insects while being safe for mammals; they are quickly degraded and do not persist in the environment. This volume describes the relationship of nicotinoids to botanical insecticidal alkaloids, their discovery and development as insecticides, and the prospects for their expanded use and for the development of resistance. This book is the first to provide concise, comprehensive information on nicotinoids, their chemistry, mode of action, metabolism, and application in agriculture.

1 Nicotine to Nicotinoids.- 1. Nicotine to Nicotinoids: 1962 to 1997.- 2. Nicotine and Other Insecticidal Alkaloids.- 3. Discovery of the Nitromethylene Heterocycle Insecticides.- 4. Discovery of Chloronicotinyl Insecticides.- 2 Synthetic Nicotinoid Insecticides.- 5. Chloronicotinyl Insecticides: A Success of the New Chemistry.- 6. Discovery of a New Systemic Insecticide, Nitenpyram and Its Insecticidal Properties.- 7. A Novel Insecticide, Acetamiprid.- 8. CGA 293'343: A Novel, Broad-Spectrum Neonicotinoid Insecticide.- 3 Nicotinoid Insecticide Toxicology.- 9. Imidacloprid: Toxicology and Metabolism.- 10. The Action of Nicotine in the Mammalian Brain.- 11. Nicotine Analogs: Structure-Affinity Relationships for Central Nicotinic Acetylcholinergic Receptor Binding.- 12. Managing Resistance to the Chloronicotinyl Insecticides-Rhetoric or Reality?.- 13. Structure and Function of Insect Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors Studied with Nicotinoid Insecticide Affinity Probes.