the compounds of this invention can be prepared either ( a ) from the appropriately - substituted naphthol by the method taught in published german offenlegungschrift # 2 , 520 , 739 , ( 11 / 9 / 75 ), or ( b ) from the appropriate 4 - phenyl - 3 - oxobutanoic ester as taught by fieser , et al ., u . s . pat . no . 2 , 553 , 647 : ## str3 ## the final step in the synthesis may be accomplished by treating the corresponding 2 - alkyl - 3 - hydroxy - 1 , 4 - naphthoquinone with the appropriate acid chloride or anhydride in the presence of at least an equivalent of an amine such as pyridine or triethylamine , or by treating the salt of the 2 - alkyl - 3 - hydroxy - 1 , 4 - naphthoquinone with the appropriate acid chloride or anhydride in an inert solvent . the following examples are given to illustrate the above - described processes . this material was prepared according to the procedure of m . viscontini and n . merckling , helvetica chimica acta , 35 , 2280 ( 1952 ). to 2 . 65 parts of magnesium turnings was added 15 parts absolute ethanol at room temperature and 0 . 5 parts of carbon tetrachloride . as soon as the initial reaction subsides 100 parts of dry ether was added . the mixture was stirred without cooling until the reaction ceased , then 19 . 6 parts of ethyl 3 - oxobutanoate in 20 parts of dry ether was added with ice cooling and good stirring . after the resulting precipitate dissolved , the solution was cooled in an ice - salt bath and 16 parts of 2 - methylphenylacetyl chloride was slowly added . the mixture was allowed to stand overnight at room temperature and then combined with ice and sulfuric acid . the ether layer was separated , washed with water , dried over sodium sulfate and stripped to give ethyl 2 - acetyl - 4 -( 2 - methylphenyl )- 3 - oxobutanoate as a crude oil . following the method of hunsdiecker [ berichte , 75 , 454 ( 1942 )], 26 parts of ethyl 2 - acetyl - 4 -( 2 - methylphenyl )- 3 - oxobutanoate was stirred for 10 hours at room temperature with 100 parts ethanol and 6 . 8 parts of sodium ethoxide . the mixture was diluted with water and extracted with ether . the solvent was then evaporated to give ethyl 4 -( 2 - methylphenyl )- 3 - oxobutanoate . three parts of ethyl 4 -( 2 - methylphenyl )- 3 - oxobutanoate , 1 part of sodium methoxide , 4 . 6 parts of 1 - bromododecane , 0 . 5 parts of potassium iodide and 50 parts of absolute ethanol were refluxed together for 4 hours and then stirred 18 hours at room temperature . the mixture was evaporated to a small volume , diluted with 100 parts water and extracted with ether . the ether extract was washed with saturated sodium bicarbonate , saturated sodium chloride solution and dried over magnesium sulfate . evaporation of the ether gave 6 parts of crude ethyl 2 -[( 2 - methylphenyl ) acetyl ] tetradecanoate as an oil which was not further purified . four parts of crude ethyl 2 -[( 2 - methylphenyl ) acetyl ] tetradecanoate obtained in example 3 was combined with 12 parts of cold concentrated sulfuric acid and stirred at room temperature for 66 hours . the mixture was poured into ice water and made slightly basic by the addition of 50 % aqueous sodium hydroxide . enough ethanol was added to dissolve the organic matter and air was then bubbled through the solution for 3 hours . the resulting solution was extracted with 100 parts petroleum ether ( twice ), acidified with hydrochloric acid and re - extracted with diethylether . the ether extract was washed with saturated sodium chloride , dried over magnesium sulfate and evaporated . the residue was taken up in acetonitrile and filtered . the filtrate was evaporated to dryness and the residue triturated with petroleum ether to give 0 . 2 g of 2 - dodecyl - 3 - hydroxy - 5 - methyl - 1 , 4 - napthoquinone , m . p . 92 °- 93 ° c . 3 . 8 parts of 2 - dodecyl - 3 - hydroxy - 5 - methyl - 1 , 4 - naphthoquinone , 8 parts of acetic anhydride and 32 parts of pyridine were stirred at room temperature for 16 hours . the resulting mixture was evaporated under reduced pressure to remove the pyridine . the residue was recrystallized from methanol to give 2 . 5 parts of 3 - acetoxy - 2 - dodecyl - 5 - methyl - 1 , 4 - naphthoquinone , m . p . 69 °- 75 ° c . a mixture of 16 . 6 parts of 5 - chloro - 1 - naphthalenol [ erdmann and kirchoff , liebig &# 39 ; s ann ., 247 , 372 ( 1888 )] 19 . 2 parts of dodecanoic acid and 132 parts of boron trifluoride ether complex ( 48 % bf 3 ) was stirred under nitrogen on a steam bath for 6 hours . water ( 114 parts ) was added and ether distilled off by further heating . the resulting mixture was cooled in ice and a tan solid was filtered and recrystallized from ethanol to give 18 parts of yellow 1 -( 5 - chloro - 1 - hydroxynaphthalen - 2 - yl )- 1 - dodecanone , m . p . 86 °- 87 ° c . a solution of 17 . 4 parts of 1 -( 5 - chloro - 1 - hydroxynaphthalen - 2 - yl )- 1 - dodecanone and 107 parts of 37 % hydrochloric acid in 2 . 5 parts of ethanol was contacted with stirring at reflux during 26 hours , with 40 parts of zinc dust which has been amalgamated by treatment with 3 parts of mercuric chloride and 53 parts of 2 . 1 % hydrochloric acid followed by washing with ethanol . the zinc amalgam was added in small portions throughout the reaction period . upon cooling , a solid separated . after dissolution of this solid in ethanol , zinc amalgam was filtered , and cooling gave 0 . 5 parts of starting material which was filtered . concentration of the filtrate , purification by recrystallization from ethanol , and column chromatography on silica gel using 1 - chlorobutane as eluent gave 12 parts of 5 - chloro - 2 - dodecyl - 1 - naphthalenol , m . p . 68 °- 70 ° c . a mixture of 5 . 4 parts of 5 - chloro - 2 - dodecyl - 1 - naphthalenol , 18 parts of 96 % sulfuric acid , 71 . 5 parts of glacial acetic acid , and 29 parts of water was stirred at 70 ° c . and 8 . 85 parts of cold 30 % hydrogen peroxide was added dropwise over 8 hours . stirring at 70 ° c . was continued for another 17 hours . the mixture was cooled and an orange solid taken up in methylene chloride , and the extract washed with water , dried and stripped . the resulting tan solid was purified by column chromatography from 1 - chlorotutane on silica gel to give 2 parts of 5 - chloro - 2 - dodecyl - 1 , 4 - naphthoquinone , m . p . 57 . 5 °- 58 . 5 ° c . a mixture of 1 . 7 parts of 5 - chloro - 2 - dodecyl - 1 , 4 - naphthoquinone , 25 parts ethanol , 0 . 626 parts anhydrous sodium carbonate and 6 . 3 parts water was contacted with 1 . 13 parts of 30 % hydrogen peroxide at 32 ° c . and then refluxed for 10 minutes . the resulting mixture was then cooled to 50 ° c . and a solution of 1 . 56 parts of potassium hydroxide in 49 . 5 parts of ethanol was added to it . the resulting deep red mixture was then heated to 50 ° c . over 25 minutes and the temperature held there for 45 minutes . after cooling to 10 ° c . the mixture was then contacted with 251 parts of 2 . 72 % hydrochloric acid . the resulting yellow crystals were filtered , dried and purified by column chromatography on silica gel using 1 - chlorobutane as eluent . solvent removal gave 1 . 4 parts of 5 - chloro - 2 - dodecyl - 3 - hydroxy - 1 , 4 - naphthoquinone , m . p . 102 °- 104 . 5 ° c . a solution of 0 . 95 parts of 5 - chloro - 2 - dodecyl - 3 - hydroxy - 1 , 4 - naphthoquinone in 20 parts of anhydrous tetrahydrofuran was added under nitrogen to a mixture of 0 . 0635 parts of dispersed sodium hydride in 40 parts of tetrahydrofuran with stirring at room temperature . after 45 minutes of stirring , a solution of 0 . 275 parts of acetyl chloride in 30 parts of tetrahydrofuran was added and the mixture stirred for 5 hours . the tetrahydrofuran was stripped under reduced pressure and the residue taken up in methylene chloride and then washed with water , 10 % hydrochloric acid , four more times with water , dried over sodium sulfate and stripped . the resulting yellow solid was purified by column chromatography on silica gel using 1 - chlorobutane as eluent . solvent removal gave 0 . 9 parts of 3 - acetoxy - 5 - chloro - 2 - dodecyl - 1 , 4 - naphthoquinone , m . p . 57 °- 59 ° c . by using the appropriate 2 - alkyl - 3 - hydroxy - 1 , 4 - naphthoquinone and the appropriate acid chloride or anhydride , the following compounds shown in table i could be similarly prepared by anyone skilled in the art , using the procedure outlined in examples 1 through 10 . table 1__________________________________________________________________________ ## str14 ## melting pointr . sub . 1 r . sub . 2 x y (° c .) __________________________________________________________________________n - c . sub . 8 h . sub . 17 ch . sub . 2 ch . sub . 2 ch . sub . 3 cl h -- n - c . sub . 8 h . sub . 17 ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 h -- s - c . sub . 8 h . sub . 17 ch . sub . 3 cl cl -- ## str15 ## ch . sub . 3 cl h -- n - c . sub . 11 h . sub . 23 ch . sub . 3 cl h -- n - c . sub . 11 h . sub . 23 ch . sub . 2 ch . sub . 2 ch . sub . 3 cl ch . sub . 3 -- n - c . sub . 11 h . sub . 23 och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 h -- n - c . sub . 12 h . sub . 25 ch . sub . 2 och . sub . 3 br h -- n - c . sub . 12 h . sub . 25 ch . sub . 3 cl och . sub . 3 -- n - c . sub . 12 h . sub . 25 ch . sub . 2 och . sub . 2 ch . sub . 3 h cl -- s - c . sub . 12 h . sub . 25 ## str16 ## cl br -- ## str17 ## och . sub . 3 cl h -- n - c . sub . 12 h . sub . 25 ## str18 ## br h -- n - c . sub . 12 h . sub . 25 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 4 ch . sub . 3 f h -- n - c . sub . 12 h . sub . 25 c ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 3 cl f -- n - c . sub . 13 h . sub . 27 och . sub . 2 ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 ch . sub . 3 -- n - c . sub . 12 h . sub . 25 ## str19 ## cl h -- n - c . sub . 12 h . sub . 25 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 16 ch . sub . 3 cl h -- n - c . sub . 12 h . sub . 25 chch . sub . 2 br ch . sub . 3 -- n - c . sub . 12 h . sub . 25 chchch . sub . 3 br f -- n - c . sub . 12 h . sub . 25 ## str20 ## och . sub . 3 br -- n - c . sub . 12 h . sub . 25 chchco . sub . 2 h cl h -- n - c . sub . 12 h . sub . 25 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 7 chchch . sub . 2 chch ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 4 ch . sub . 3 cl h -- n - c . sub . 12 h . sub . 25 ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 7 chch ( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 7 ch . sub . 3 cl h -- n - c . sub . 14 h . sub . 29 ch . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 och . sub . 3 -- s - c . sub . 14 h . sub . 29 ch . sub . 2 ch . sub . 3 h ch . sub . 3 -- ## str21 ## chchch . sub . 3 cl h -- n - c . sub . 10 h . sub . 21 ch . sub . 3 cl h -- n - c . sub . 12 h . sub . 25 ch . sub . 3 br br -- n - c . sub . 12 h . sub . 25 ch . sub . 3 h f -- n - c . sub . 12 h . sub . 25 ch . sub . 3 h och . sub . 3 -- n - c . sub . 12 h . sub . 25 ch . sub . 3 h br -- n - c . sub . 12 h . sub . 25 ch . sub . 3 br h -- __________________________________________________________________________ the compounds of formula i are useful as miticides and mite ovicides , and can be used to protect both plants and animals from damage caused by these pests . more specifically , fruits , field crops , vegetable , ornamentals , birds and other warm - blooded animals including man can also be protected . when mites come into contact with the compounds of formula i , either in the form of direct sprays or by walking over surfaces which have been treated , they rapidly become irritated and leave the area or are killed if they have been exposed to a sufficiently high dosage . while most plants or animals are able to tolerate the presence of very small numbers of mites without apparent adverse effect , large populations have been known to kill plants . generally , as the weather becomes favorable , mite populations rapidly build up , easily outstripping parasite and predator capabilities for control . growers noting rapid mite build - up must take immediate action to prevent damage to economically important crops . thus , a method is needed for immediately reducing mite build - up and thereby preventing damage to important crops or animals . the preferred method of this invention , namely , contacting mites and / or mite eggs with a miticidally and mite ovicidally effective concentration of one of the compounds of formula i , is a most desirable method for control of these pests . for instance , very small quantities of compounds of formula i are required for miticidal or mite ovicidal activity ; additionally , the compounds are not rapidly washed from leaves by rain . they do not have any adverse effect on ladybird beetles , which are important mite predators , and the compounds rapidly degrade in the environment . the compounds are also effective against phosphorous - resistant strains of mites . the quantity of compound needed for miticidal activity will vary depending on the specific situation . among the variables that must be considered in deciding on the quantity of chemical to be used are the specific compound itself , the specific mite to be controlled , weather conditions , the type of crop , the stage of development of the crop , the volume of spray applied , population pressure , and the interval between applications . for plant protection , solutions or suspensions containing as little as 3 . 5 ppm of active ingredient in a spray solution may prove effective under a given set of circumstances . for field usage , however , in high - volume applications , aqueous spray preparations containing 30 - 4 , 000 ppm of active ingredient are generally useful . preferred are suspensions containing 60 - 1 , 000 ppm , and most preferred are those containing 125 - 500 ppm . on an area basis , in general , 0 . 025 to 15 kilograms of active ingredient per hectare are acceptable , preferably 0 . 05 to 8 kilograms , and most preferably 0 . 08 to 4 kg . when applied in an orchard , spraying is continued until run - off is observed . it may be desirable or useful to mix the compounds of this invention with other agricultural pesticides or adjuvants . such mixtures often increase the effectiveness of the application on mites and broaden the scope of control to embrace other pests such as insects , fungi , nematodes , or bacteria . a mixture with a refined petroleum spray oil or superior oil may provide greater than additive results on mites . other pesticides with which the compounds of this invention may be mixed to achieve broader - spectrum activity include : the compounds are especially suited for the protection of living plants such as fruit - bearing trees , nut - bearing trees , ornamental trees , forest trees , vegetable crops , horticultural crops ( including ornamentals , small fruit and berries ) and grain and seed crops . apple trees , peach trees , cotton , citrus trees , beans and peanuts are particularly susceptible to mite damage and can be protected by application of the compounds of this invention . to assure control throughout the &# 34 ; mite &# 34 ; growing season ( e . g ., june through september in the northern hemisphere ) multiple applications at reasonably spaced intervals can be utilized . many species of mites are controlled by the compounds of this invention . the following is a list of representative susceptible mites along with the types of damage that they can cause : panonychus ulmi ( european red mite ) and tetranychus urticae ( two - spotted mite ) which are commonly called &# 34 ; orchard mites ,&# 34 ; and which attack a great many deciduous trees , such as apple , pear , cherry , plum and peach trees ; tetranychus atlanticus ( atlantic or strawberry mite ), t . cinnabarinus ( carmine spider mite ) and t . pacificus ( pacific mite ); which attack cotton and numerous other crop plants ; paratetranychus citri ( citrus red mite ) and others which attack citrus ; phyllocoptruta oleivora which causes citrus rust ; bryobia praetiosa ( clover mite ) which attacks clover , alfalfa and other crops ; and aceria neocynodomis which attacks grasses and other plants . useful formulations of the compounds of formula i can be prepared in conventional ways . they include solutions , emulsifiable concentrates , dusts , suspensions , emulsions , wettable powders , and the like . many of these may be applied directly . sprayable formulations can be extended in suitable media and used at spray volumes of from a few pints to several hundred gallons per acre . high strength compositions are primarily used as intermediates for further formulation . the formulations , broadly , contain about 1 % to 99 % by weight of active ingredient ( s ) and at least one of ( a ) about 0 . 1 % to 20 % surfactant ( s ) and ( b ) about 5 % to 99 % solid or liquid diluent ( s ). more specifically , they will contain these ingredients in the following approximate proportions : ______________________________________ percent by weight active dilu - surfac - ingredient ent ( s ) tant ( s ) ______________________________________wettable powders 20 - 90 0 - 74 1 - 10oil suspensions , emulsions , solutions ( including emulsifi - able concentrates ) 5 - 50 40 - 95 0 - 15aqueous suspensions 10 - 50 40 - 84 1 - 20dusts 1 - 25 70 - 99 0 - 5high strength 90 - 99 0 - 10 0 - 2compositions______________________________________ lower or higher levels of active ingredient can , of course , be present depending on the intended use and the physical properties of the compound . higher ratios of surfactant to active ingredient are sometimes desirable , and are achieved by incorporation into the formulation or by tank mixing . typical solid diluents are described in watkins , et al ., &# 34 ; handbook of insecticide dust diluents and carriers &# 34 ;, 2nd . edn ., dorland broks , caldwell , n . j . the more absorptive diluents are preferred for wettable powders and the denser ones for dusts . typical liquid diluents and solvents are described in marsden , &# 34 ; solvents guide &# 34 ;, 2nd . edn ., interscience , new york , 1950 . solubility under 0 . 1 % is preferred for suspension concentrates ; solution concentrates are preferably stable against phase separation at 0 ° c . &# 34 ; mccutcheon &# 39 ; s detergents and emulsifiers annual &# 34 ;, mccutcheon publ . corp ., ridgewood , new jersey , as well as sisely and wood , &# 34 ; encyclopedia of surface active agents &# 34 ;, chemical publ . co ., inc ., new york , 1964 , list surfactants and recommended uses . all formulations can contain minor amounts of additives to reduce foam , caking , corrosion , microbiological growth , etc . preferably , ingredients should be approved by the u . s . environmental protection agency for the use intended . the methods of making such compositions are well known . solutions are prepared by simply mixing the ingredients . fine solid compositions are made by blending and , usually , grinding as in a hammer or fluid energy mill . suspensions are prepared by wet milling ( see , for example , littler , u . s . pat . no . 3 , 060 , 084 ). for further information regarding the art of formulation , see for example : j . b . buchanan , u . s . pat . no . 3 , 576 , 834 , april 27 , 1971 , col . 5 line 36 through col . 7 line 70 and ex . 1 - 4 , 17 , 106 , 123 - 140 . r . r . shaffer , u . s . pat . no . 3 , 560 , 616 , feb . 2 , 1971 , col . 3 line 48 through col . 7 line 26 and examples 3 - 9 , 11 - 18 . e . somers , &# 34 ; formulation &# 34 ;, chapter 6 in torgeson , &# 34 ; fungicides &# 34 ;, vol . i , academic press , new york , 1967 . still another liquid formulation which is particularly convenient for small - scale use is the &# 34 ; aerosol &# 34 ; formulation which is packaged under pressure in a suitable container . the active ingredient may be present in a suspension , emulsion or solution . for simplicity in preparation and use , solutions are preferred . the pressure may be supplied by low - boiling liquids such as propane or chloro - fluoro carbons or by relatively soluble gases such as carbon dioxide or nitrous oxide . ______________________________________emulsifiable concentrate______________________________________3 - acetoxy - 5 - chloro - 2 - dodecyl - 25 % 1 , 4 - naphthoquinoneblend of oil soluble sulfonates 8 % and polyoxyethylene ethersxylene + impurities in technical 67 % ______________________________________ the ingredients are combined and stirred with gentle warming to speed solution . a fine screen filter is included in packaging operation to insure the absence of any extraneous undissolved material in the product . ______________________________________emulsifiable concentrate______________________________________3 - acetoxy - 5 , 8 - dichloro - 2 - dodecyl - 20 % 1 , 4 - naphthoquinonecyclohexanone 50 % aliphatic spray oil 15 % blend of polyoxyethylene ethers and 15 % oil soluble sulfonates______________________________________ the active ingredient is combined with cyclohexanone and emulsifiers , and the mixture is stirred and heated until solution is effected . spray oil is then blended into the solution . the active ingredient is blended with attapulgite and then passed through a hammer mill to produce particles substantially all below 200 microns . the ground concentrate is then blended with powdered talc until homogeneous . the ingredients are combined and stirred to produce a solution which can be emulsified in water for application . mite control for the compounds of formula i is illustrated in the following examples . test units consisting of plant pots containing two red kidney beans in the 2 - leaf stage were infested with 2 - spotted mites and sprayed to run - off with dispersions of 3 - acetoxy - 5 - chloro - 2 - dodecyl - 1 , 4 - naphthoquinone at various rates . dispersions were made by dissolving an appropriately weighed quantity of the active ingredient in 10 ml of acetone and then diluting with water containing trem 014 at 1 : 3000 . mortality was evaluated 2 days after spraying . a table of results is set forth below : ______________________________________concentration ofactive ingredient ( ppm ) % mortality ( 24 hours ) ______________________________________500 10050 10020 10010 100 5 1002 . 5 88______________________________________ red kidney bean plants in the 2 - leaf stage were infested with mites which were allowed to oviposit . about 24 hours later the leaves were dipped in tetraethyl pyrophosphate solution to kill the mites . after drying , the plants were sprayed with test dispersions of 3 - acetoxy - 5 - chloro - 2 - dodecyl - 1 , 4 - naphthoquinone at various rates . dispersions were made by dissolving an appropriately weighed quantity of the active ingredient in 10 ml of acetone and then diluting with water containing trem 014 at 1 : 3000 . hatching activity was observed and results were recorded five days later . ______________________________________concentration ofactive ingredient ( ppm ) % ovicidal activity ( 5 days ) ______________________________________100 10050 10025 9812 . 5 79control ( 0 ) 1______________________________________
this invention relates to novel compounds which are represented by the following formula : ## str1 ## wherein r 1 is alkyl of 8 - 14 carbon atoms either branched , cyclic or straight chain ; and r 2 is alkyl of 1 - 17 carbon atoms either branched or straight chain , alkenyl of 2 - 17 carbon atoms , cycloalkyl of 3 - 6 carbon atoms , alkoxy of 1 - 4 carbon atoms , -- ch 2 och 3 , -- ch 2 och 2 ch 3 or -- ch ═ ch -- co 2 h ; x is hydrogen , fluorine , chlorine , bromine , methyl or methoxy ; and y is hydrogen , fluorine , chlorine , bromine , methyl or methoxy ; provided that at least one of x and y is other than hydrogen . the novel compounds possess miticidal and aphicidal activity .