SYNTHESIS OF THE TWO ENANTIOMERS OF THE SEX PHEROMONE OF DIABROTICA UNDECIMPUNCTATA HOWARDI AND OF CHIRAL PRECURSORS OF OTHER PHEROMONES STARTING FROM ENENTIOMERICALLY PURE METHYL HYDROGEN (R)-3-METHYLGLUTARATE

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/S0040-4020(01)96510-X

Readily available methyl hydrogen (R)-3-methylglutarate (2) is a useful chiral building block for the synthesis of several biologically active compounds.Enantiomerically pure (R)-2 has been employed to synthesize stereospecifically each of the two enantiomers, 1a and 1b, of 10-methyl-2-tridecanone,the sex pheromone of the southern corn rootworm, Diabrotica undecimpunctata howardi Barber.Compound (R)-2 has been also used to prepare 99percent optically pure (R)-3-methyl-1-pentanol (6) and enantiomerically pure (R)-5-methyl-i-tricosyne (7).These compounds are useful building blocks suitable for the further elaboration to other chiral insect pheromones.