Azadirachtin

Azadirachtin A

155-158 ° C

Template: Infobox chemical / molecular formula search available

Azadirachtin is a chemical compound, which belongs to the limonoids. It is a secondary metabolite, and the main component of the seed of the neem tree. Azadirachtin is a highly oxidised tetranortriterpenoid with enol ether, acetal, hemiacetal and epoxy functions.

Azadirachtin is the main component of the neem oil selected from the seeds of the neem tree pressed ( Azadirachta indica ) is obtained. The substance inhibits the larval development of many insects ( ecdysone - like effect ), on the other hand should be relatively harmless to mammals.

The effect of Neembaumextraktes is known in the local population for a long time. The effect probably mainly responsible for the active ingredient azadirachtin was isolated in 1968 from the seeds of the tree for the first time. In 1985, the structure of the molecule by W. Kraus et al. finally cleared up at the University of Hohenheim and published. It has 16 stereogenic centers, a complicated pattern of oxygen-containing functional groups, and a strong influence of intramolecular hydrogen bonding conformation and reactivity. The azadirachtin can change its structure by intramolecular rearrangements. It is also the case of UV light exposure to a highly unstable, with half-lives of 13-94 loss hrs

The synthetic production of azadirachtin succeeded after 22 years of research for the first time in 2007 by a British team led by Steven Ley, Professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of Cambridge.