Optimal fractionation and bioassay plans for isolation of synergistic chemicals: The subtractive-combination method.

Studies of chemical ecology of an organism are founded on the isolation and identification of a semiochemical, often comprised of two or more synergistic compounds (each Synergist alone has little activity, but presented together they are bioactive). Chromatographie fractionation and bioassay methods of binary splitting, additive combination, and subtractive combination are compared for efficiency in isolating synergists. Formulas are derived for the latter two methods that calculate the expected number of bioassay tests required for isolation of from two to five synergists from biological extracts with any number of compounds, depending on the number of initial (major) Chromatographic fractions. A computer program based on the formulas demonstrates the superiority of the subtractive-combination method. Simulations with the program were used to determine the optimal number of initial fractions for the additive- and subtractive-combination methods when isolating two to five synergists from extracts of from 25 to 1200 compounds. Methods of bioassay, isolation, identification, and field testing of semiochemicals are discussed.