INSECT ANTIFEEDANT ACTIVITY AND HOT TASTE FOR HUMANS OF SELECTED NATURAL AND SYNTHETIC 1,4-DIALDEHYDES

The antifeedant activity towards larvae of Leptinotarsa decemlineata and Spodoptera littoralis and the hot taste for the human tongue have been determined for natural and synthetic 1,4-dialdehydes la, lb, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, and 9. Among the bicyclic dialdehydes the biological activity has been found to be dependent on the distance between the two aldehyde groups; tricyclic and pentacyclic dialdehydes are inactive in both tests. A short synthetic route to (--)- and ( + )-polygodial [la, lb] is reported.