Syntheses of Racemic and Diastereomeric Mixtures of 3,7,11,15- Tetramethylhentriacontane and 4,8,12,16-Tetramethyldotriacontane, the Cuticular Tetramethylalkanes of the Tsetse Fly,…

Abstract

  Cuticular hydrocarbons of the tsetse fly, Glossina brevipalpis, contain 3,7,11,15-tetramethylhentriacontane and 4,8,12,16-tetramethyldotriacontane as possible candidates for its contact sex pheromone. These were synthesized as racemic and diastereomeric mixtures starting from racemic citronellol and employing phenylsulfone-mediated chain-elongation as the key reaction.