Regio- and stereochemical study of sex pheromone of pine sawfly; Diprion nipponica

Regio- and stereoisomers of 1,2,omega-trimethyldecyl propionate (omega = 5-9) were prepared from stereochemically pure chiral building blocks as sex pheromone candidates of a pine sawfly; Diprion nipponica. Among the synthesized candidates, (1S,2R,8S)-1,2,8-trimethyldecyl propionate was found to be the sex pheromone of D. nipponica, based on compatibility of its GC-MS data with that of the extract of females, and its significantly high pheromone activity in a field bioassay. The field bioassay of the synthesized compounds also revealed that (1S,2R,8R)-1,2,8-trimethyldecyl propionate, (1S,2R,7S)-1,2,7-trimethyldecyl propionate, and (1S,2R,6S)-1,2,6-trimethyldecyl propionate could attract mate sawflies to some extent as pheromone mimics.