Imidacloprid

Common name imidacloprid (BSI, draft E-ISO); imidaclopride ((m) F-ISO)
IUPAC name 1-(6-chloro-3-pyridylmethyl)-N-nitroimidazolidin-2-ylideneamine
Chemical Abstracts name 1-[(6-chloro-3-pyridinyl)methyl]-N-nitro-2-imidazolidinimine
Other trade names: Confidor; Conidor; Winner; Admire; Gaucho

PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY
Mol. wt. 255.7
M.f. C9H10ClN5O2
Appearance Colourless crystals, with a weak characteristic odour.
M.p. 144 °C
V.p. 4 * 10-7 mPa (20 °C); 9 * 10-7 mPa (25 °C)
KOW logP = 0.57 (21 ºC)
Henry 2 * 10-10 Pa m3 mol-1 (20 °C, calc.)
S.g./density 1.54 (23 ºC)
Solubility In water 0.61 g/l (20 ºC). In dichloromethane 55, isopropanol 1.2, toluene 0.68, n-hexane < 0.1 (all in g/l, 20 ºC).
Stability Stable to hydrolysis at pH 5-11.

APPLICATIONS

Biochemistry Acts as an antagonist by binding to postsynaptic nicotinic receptors in the insect central nervous system.

Mode of action Systemic insecticide with translaminar activity and with contact and stomach action. Readily taken up by the plant and further distributed acropetally, with good root-systemic action.

Uses Control of sucking insects, including rice-, leaf- and planthoppers, aphids, thrips and whitefly. Also effective against soil insects, termites and some species of biting insects, such as rice water weevil and Colorado beetle. Has no effect on nematodes and spider mites. Used as a seed dressing, as soil treatment and as foliar treatment in different crops, e.g. rice, cotton, cereals, maize, sugar beet, potatoes, vegetables, citrus fruit, pome fruit and stone fruit. Applied at 25-100 g/ha for foliar application, and 50-175 g/100 kg seed for most seed treatments, and 350-700 g/100 kg cotton seed. Also used to controls fleas in dogs and cats.