Helmars Smits

1.8 Chirality in Agrochemicals

In the chapter agrochemical products, aspects of chirality of fungicides, insecticides, and herbicides reported in the last 30 years are reviewed. The chapter is structured by the respective biochemical modes of actions of the different substance classes discussed. Approaches to enantiomerically enriched chemicals are reported which include asymmetric catalysis, the use of building blocks from the chiral pool, as well as a number of different resolution methods. The authors provide detailed insights into the relevance of the chiral centers for the desired pesticidal activity and discuss, when possible, the molecular architecture in context with the underlying biochemical principles. Although the chapter focuses on the more recent agrochemicals, some of the old chemistries are reviewed when justified by relevant data revealed in the recent literature. Overall, the authors provide a concise overview of the chemistry, biology, and biochemistry of modern agrochemicals possessing one or several stereochemical centers, which should be of relevance to students and professionals interested in the chemical science of modern pesticides.