Acaricidal Properties of Bio-Oil Derived From Slow Pyrolysis of Crambe abyssinica Fruit Against the Cattle Tick Rhipicephalus microplus (Acari: Ixodidae).

Slow pyrolysis is a process for the thermochemical conversion of biomasses into bio-oils that may contain a rich chemical composition with biotechnological potential. Bio-oil produced from crambe fruits was investigated as to their acaricidal effect. Slow pyrolysis of crambe fruits was performed in a batch reactor at 400°C and chemical composition was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The bio-oil collected was used in bioassays with larvae and engorged females of the cattle tick Rhipicephalus microplus. Biological assays were performed using the larval packet test (LPT) and adult immersion test. The GC-MS of crambe fruit bio-oil revealed mainly hydrocarbons such as alkanes and alkenes, phenols, and aldehydes. The bio-oil in the LPT exhibited an LC90 of 14.4%. In addition, crambe bio-oil caused female mortality of 91.1% at a concentration of 15% and a high egg-laying inhibition. After ovary dissection of treated females, a significant reduction in gonadosomatic index was observed, indicating that bio-oil interfered in tick oogenesis. Considering these results, it may be concluded that slow pyrolysis of crambe fruit affords a sustainable and eco-friendly product for the control of cattle tick R. microplus.

Synthetic, structural, NMR and catalytic studies of phosphinic amide-phosphoryl chalcogenides (chalcogen = O, S, Se) as mixed-donor bidentate ligands in zinc chemistry.

ortho Substituted (diphenylphosphoryl)-, (diphenylphosphorothioyl)- and (diphenylphosphoroselenoyl)-phosphinic amides o-C6H4(P(X)Ph2)(P(O)N(i)Pr2) (X = O (20a), S (20b), Se (20c)) were synthesized by ortho directed lithiation of N,N-diisopropyl-P,P-diphenylphosphinic amide (Ph2P(O)N(i)Pr2) followed by trapping with Ph2PCl and subsequent oxidation of the o-(diphenylphosphine)phosphinic amide (19) with H2O2, S8 and Se. The reaction of the new mixed-donor bidentate ligands with zinc dichloride afforded the corresponding complexes [ZnCl2(P(X)Ph2)o-C6H4(P(O)N(i)Pr2)] (21a-c). The new compounds were structurally characterized in solution by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and in the solid-state by X-ray diffraction analysis of the ligand (20b) and the three complexes (21a-c). The X-ray crystal structure of 20b suggests the existence of a P[double bond, length as m-dash]O→P(S)-C intramolecular nonbonded interaction. The natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis using DFT methods showed that the stabilization effect provided by a nO→σ*P-C orbital interaction was negligible. The molecular structure of the complexes consisted of seven-membered chelates formed by O,X-coordination of the ligands to the zinc cation. The metal is four-coordinated by binding to the two chlorine atoms showing a distorted tetrahedral geometry. Applications in catalysis revealed that hemilabile ligands 20a-c act as significant promoters of the addition of diethylzinc to aldehydes, with 20a showing the highest activity. Chelation of Et2Zn with 20a was evidenced by NMR spectroscopy.