Piptigrine, a new insecticidal amide from Piper nigrum Linn.

A new insecticidal amide piptigrine (1) possessing highly extended conjugation was isolated from the dried ground seeds of Piper nigrum Linn. along with the known amides piperine and wisanine (hitherto unreported from this plant). The structure of 1 has been elucidated as 1-[9-(3',4'-methylenedioxyphenyl)-4E,6E,8E-nonatrienoyl]piperidine through extensive 1D- and 2D-NMR (COSY-45, NOESY, J-resolved, HMQC, HMBC and NOESY studies. The known compounds have been identified through comparison of their spectral data with those reported in literature. 1 exhibited toxicity of 15.0 ppm against fourth instar larvae of Aedes aegypti Liston.