The present investigation provides a unique, simple, selective and efficient method for the electrochemical reduction of aromatic nitro groups into amines using chitosan-hydrogen iodide salt supported graphite electrode. 3:1 tetrabutyl ammonium chloride and acetic acid mixture was used as the medium for electrolytic process and a constant voltage of 5 V applied between the modified electrodes. The reaction was found to be selective and further reduction of amines was not observed. The purity of the products was checked with HPLC and characterized using spectroscopic tools. The electrochemical synthesis resulted in moderate to good yields of amino compounds which were higher than the reduction using conventional graphite electrodes. Quaternary ammonium chloride behaved as supporting electrolyte during synthesis and the reaction did not progress in the absence of acetic acid. The redox characteristic of the process was studied by cyclic voltammetry of the reaction mixture.

In examining for unique insecticidal agents, two derivatives namely, 2-((3-cyano-4,6-distyrylpyridin-2-yl)thio)-N-(4-nitrophenyl)acetamide (2) and 3-amino-N-(4-nitrophenyl)-4,6-distyrylthieno[2,3-b]pyridine-2-carboxamide (3) were synthesized from distyrylpyridine-2-thione (1). The new compounds were structurally clarified by spectral and elemental analysis data. The insecticidal activity of these compounds were carried out against cowpea aphid, Aphis craccivora Koch. It is demonstrated that the compounds 2 and 3 have noteworthy insecticidal activity against nymphs of cowpea aphid with LC50 values of 0.025-0.027 ppm and 0.005-0.006 ppm after 24 h and 48 h of treatment, respectively. Also, the compounds 2 and 3 have noteworthy insecticidal activity against adults of cowpea aphid with LC50 values of 0.112-0.129 ppm and 0.014-0.015 ppm after 24 h and 48 h of treatment, respectively, that were comparable to that of the control acetamiprid.