Stereospecific syntheses of sex pheromones of the californian red scale and white peach scale (Homoptera:Diaspididae) based on 1,4-cis-hydrogenation of dienes

Abstract

Stereospecific syntheses of (±)-3-methyl-6-isopropenyl-3(Z),9-decadien-1-yl acetate and (±)-3,9-dimethyl-6-isopropenyl-3(Z),9-decadien-1-yl propionate (the Racemoc forms of the pheromones of the scalesAonidiella aurantii andPseudaulascaspis pentagona) with a geometrical purity of the (Z)-trisubstituted double bond not lower than 99 % were performed. The key step in both syntheses was the 1,4-cis-hydrogenation of the corresponding ethyl 3-methyl-6-(1, 1-ethylenedioxyethyl)-2,4,9-decatrienoates catalyzed with chromium carbonyl complexes. These 2,4-dienes were obtained in five conventional steps including the alkylation of ethyl acetoacetate by the appropriate 1-bromo-3-butenes and the Horner-Emmons olefination of the corresponding α-branched aldehydes.