Advances in Chiral Pesticides

Chirality is a basic attribute of nature, which is similar to human's right and left hands. It cannot overlap but is a mirror image of each other. In the field of pesticides, the application of chiral pesticides is becoming increasingly widespread, with usage on the rise. Chiral pesticides refer to compounds with one or more chiral centers in pesticide molecules, according to the use, it can be divided into three categories: chiral herbicides, chiral insecticides and chiral fungicides, and according to the chemical structure, it can be divided into six categories: amide, triazole, organophosphorus, organochlorine, phenoxycarboxylic acid and pyrethroid. Although different enantiomers have similar physical and chemical properties, because of characterized by the presence of chiral centers, exhibit significant differences in biological activity, ecological toxicity, and environmental behavior among their enantiomers. This makes the study of chiral pesticide enantiomers crucial for enhancing pesticide efficiency while reducing usage and for promoting sustainable agriculture, it can play an important role in many fields such as life science, medical science, synthetic chemistry and food chemistry. This paper focuses on the current research status of chiral pesticide enantiomers concerning their selective activity, mechanisms, synthesis, and metabolism, aiming to provide reference for the development and application of chiral pesticide optical pure monomer with high efficiency and environmental friendliness, and contributing to the development of green agriculture, the construction of a safer ecological environment and the better promotion of the community of human destiny.