Pyrethrin II is an organic compound

Organic compound

An organic compound is any member of a large class of gaseous, liquid, or solid chemical compounds whose molecules contain carbon. For historical reasons discussed below, a few types of carbon-containing compounds such as carbides, carbonates, simple oxides of carbon, and cyanides, as well as the...

 that is a potent insecticide

Insecticide

An insecticide is a pesticide used against insects. They include ovicides and larvicides used against the eggs and larvae of insects respectively. Insecticides are used in agriculture, medicine, industry and the household. The use of insecticides is believed to be one of the major factors behind...

. It is one of the two pyrethrin

Pyrethrin

The pyrethrins are a pair of natural organic compounds that have potent insecticidal activity. Pyrethrins are neurotoxins that attack the nervous systems of all insects. When present in amounts not fatal to insects, they still appear to have an insect repellent effect. Pyrethrins are gradually...

s, the other being pyrethrin I

Pyrethrin I

Pyrethrin I is one of the two pyrethrins, natural organic compounds with potent insecticidal activity. It is an ester of -trans-chrysanthemic acid with --pyrethrolone.- Total synthesis:...

. Thousands of tons this mixture are produced annually from chrysanthemum plants, which are cultivated in warm climates. Whereas pyrethrin I is a derivative of (+)-trans-chrysanthemic acid

Chrysanthemic acid

Chrysanthemic acid is an organic compound that is related to a variety of natural and synthetic insecticides. It is related to the pyrethrin I and II, as well as the pyrethroids...

, in pyrethrin II one methyl group is oxidized to a carboxymethyl group, the resulting core being called pyrethric acid. Knowledge of their chemical structures opened the way for the production of synthetic analogues, which are called pyrethroid

Pyrethroid

A pyrethroid is an organic compound similar to the natural pyrethrins produced by the flowers of pyrethrums . Pyrethroids now constitute a major commercial household insecticides...

s. In terms of their biosynthesis

Biosynthesis

Biosynthesis is an enzyme-catalyzed process in cells of living organisms by which substrates are converted to more complex products. The biosynthesis process often consists of several enzymatic steps in which the product of one step is used as substrate in the following step...

, pyrethrins are classified as terpenoid

Terpenoid

The terpenoids , sometimes called isoprenoids, are a large and diverse class of naturally occurring organic chemicals similar to terpenes, derived from five-carbon isoprene units assembled and modified in thousands of ways. Most are multicyclic structures that differ from one another not only in...

s, being derived from dimethylallyl pyrophosphate

Dimethylallyl pyrophosphate

Dimethylallyl pyrophosphate is an intermediate product of both mevalonic acid pathway and DOXP/MEP pathway. It is an isomer of isopentenyl pyrophosphate and exists in virtually all life forms...

.