Farinomalein is a natural maleimide with formula C₁₀H₁₃NO₄ - was first isolated from the entomopathogenic fungus ''

Isaria farinosa ''Cordyceps'' is a genus of ascomycete fungi (sac fungi) that includes over 260 species worldwide, many of which are parasitic. Diverse variants of cordyceps have had more than 1,500 years of use in Chinese medicine. Most ''Cordyceps'' species ...

'' (''Paecilomyces farinosus'') - source H599 (Japan). Farinomalein has shown potent and selective inhibition (0.15-5 μg/disk) against eight isolates of plant pathogenic ''

Phytophthora sojae ''Phytophthora sojae'' is an oomycete and a soil-borne plant pathogen that causes stem and root rot of soybean. This is a prevalent disease in most soybean growing regions, and a major cause of crop loss. In wet conditions the pathogen produces ...

''.Sastia Prama Putri, Hiroshi Kinoshita, Masayasu Kato and Takuya Nihira. ''Antimicrobial and antioomycete activities of the novel antibiotic farinomalein''. Poster Presentation 2P-2124, Annual Conference, The Society for Bioscience and Bioengineering, Japan, 28 October 2010. These results suggest that farinomalein might be useful as a candidate pesticide for the treatment of

Phytophthora ''Phytophthora'' (from Greek (''phytón''), "plant" and (), "destruction"; "the plant-destroyer") is a genus of plant-damaging oomycetes (water molds), whose member species cause economic losses on crops worldwide, as well as environmental dam ...

stem rot in soybean.

Synthesis

A simple two-stage synthesis from the γ-hydroxybutenolide compound, 5-hydroxy-4-methyl-2-5(''H'')-furanone, has been reported. Firstly, the furanone is oxidized to 3-isopropylfuran-2,5-dione by

Dess–Martin periodinane Dess–Martin periodinane (DMP) is a chemical reagent used in the Dess–Martin oxidation, Alcohol oxidation, oxidizing primary alcohols to aldehydes and secondary Alcohol (chemistry), alcohols to ketones. This periodinane has several advantages o ...

, followed by acetic acid reflux with beta-alanine. The white powdered product has a melting point of 75-77 °C.

References

{{reflist Maleimides Phytophthora Carboxylic acids Pesticides Isopropyl compounds