Preparation of Streochemically Pure Sex Pheromone Components of the Pine Sawfly (Neodiprion sertifer) and Field Tests of the Synthetic Compounds

Abstract

Stereochemically pure pheromone components of the pine sawfly, acetates of (2S, 3S, 7S)- and (2S, 3R, 7R)-3, 7-dimethylpentadecan-2-ol, were prepared by an improved synthetic procedure. Mixtures of the newly prepared compounds were tested in the field (red pine forests in Hyogo and Nagano, Japan) for their attraction of Neodiprion sertifer. The maximum response was observed in mixtures of the ratio (2S, 3R, 7R)/(2S, 3S, 7R)-10^-3:1 to 10^-4:1. When the results are compared with those in Michigan, U.S.A., N. sertifer in Japan responded less specifically to certain blending ratios of diastereomers than in America.