Combining TEMPO and methyl undecenoate to produce an effective anti-mosquito compound with convenient spin-labeling

A general method to spin-label a fatty acid was demonstrated as well as an assay of the effectiveness of methyl 10-undecenoate and the spin-labeled version, against the larvae of Aedes aegypti. The LC50s were 66 and 58 μL/120 mL (55 and 48 ppm) respectively, and the LC90s were 108 and 90 μL/120 mL (113 and 90) ppm. This shows that the spin-label has very little effect on the larvicidal activity of the compound. This opens the possibility of the use of spin-labeling as a tool to determine mechanisms of larvicidal effectiveness, as it can be employed without altering the system under study. Effectively combining TEMPO and methyl undecenoate to produce an effective anti-mosquito compound with convenient spin-labeling which does not alter the compound toxicity. [Display omitted] •Methyl 10-undecenoate has larvicidal activity with an LC50 of ∼50 ppm.•A spin-labeled version of a fatty acid, TEMPO-Und, can be made using a condensation reaction.•Spin-labeling does not alter larvicidal activity in fatty acids.