Synthesis and Characterization of 3,13- and 2,13-Octadecadienyl Compounds for Identification of the Sex Pheromone Secreted by a Clearwing Moth,Nokona pernix

• DOI: 10.1271/bbb.70.508
• Publication Date: 2006-02-23T05:57:14Z
• Authors: Hideshi NAKA; Tomotake NAKAZAWA; Mieko SUGIE; Masanobu YAMAMOTO; Yoshiteru HORIE; Ryohei WAKASUGI; Yutaka ARITA; Hajime SUGIE; Koji TSUCHIDA; Tetsu ANDO
• Keywords: Male; 0106 biological sciences; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; Molecular Structure; Animals; Moths; Sex Attractants; 01 natural sciences; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

Several geometrical isomers of 3,13- and 2,13-octadecadien-1-ols and their acetates were synthesized starting from 1,8-octanediol or 1,9-nonanediol utilizing acetylene coupling reactions. In addition to commercially available compounds, all geometrical isomers of each dienyl compound were analyzed by NMR and GC-MS to accumulate chemical data for studies of sex pheromones secreted from clearwing moths classified into the family Sesiidae of Lepidoptera. Although acetoxy derivatives of the 3,13- and 2,13-dienes showed almost the same mass spectra, the alcohols were distinguished by comparing the relative intensities of [M-18](+) at m/z 248, indicating direct differentiation of the two positional isomers without derivatization. Furthermore, each geometrical isomer eluted from a high-polar GC column with a different retention time. Base on these data, a pheromone gland extract of a sesiid moth, Nokona pernix, was analyzed by GC-EAD and GC-MS, and two EAG-active components were identified, viz., the (3E,13Z)- and (3Z,13Z)-isomers of 3,13-octadecadien-1-ol in a ratio of 9:1. In the field, the synthetic compounds mixed in 9:1 ratio attracted N. pernix males well, while a single component scarcely attracted the males. The number of attracted males peaked in the middle of June, and a small second peak was observed in August.