Potential for Aedes aegypti Larval Control and Environmental Friendliness of the Compounds Containing 2-Methyl-3,4-dihydroquinazolin-4-one Heterocycle.

2-Methylquinazolin-4(3 H )-one was prepared by the reaction of anthranilic acid, acetic anhydride, and ammonium acetate. The reaction of 2-methylquinazolin-4(3 H )-one with N -aryl-2-chloroacetamides in acetone in the presence of potassium carbonate gave nine N -aryl-2-(2-methyl-4-oxoquinazolin-3(4 H )-yl)acetamide compounds. The structures of these compounds were elucidated on the basis of their IR, 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), 13 C NMR, and high-resolution mass spectrometry (HR-MS) spectral data. These synthesized compounds containing the 2-methyl-3,4-dihydroquinazolin-4-one moiety exhibited activity against Aedes aegypti mosquito larvae with LC 50 values of 2.085-4.201 μg/mL after 72 h exposure, which is also confirmed using a quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) model. Interestingly, these compounds did not exhibit toxicity to the nontarget organism Diplonychus rusticus . In silico molecular docking revealed acetylcholine binding protein (AChBP) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) to be potential molecular targets. These data indicated the larvicidal potential and environmental friendliness of these N -aryl-2-(2-methyl-4-oxoquinazolin-3(4 H )-yl)acetamide derivatives.