Carboxamides combining favorable olfactory properties with insect repellency

By a simple methodology, we have synthesized 68 carboxamides, with structural analogy to the most efficient mosquitoes repellent DEET (N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide, 9). Eight of them have very promising olfactory profiles. In addition, 34 carboxamides have been tested for their repellency properties against three breeds of cockroach; six of them are excellent in this domain. Two of these, the 2-ethyl-N-isopropyl-N-methylbutanamide and N,N-diallyl-2-ethylbutanamide combine both the positive aspects, and are thus very good candidates for use in functional perfumery, and more particularly in home-care formulations.