A novel polyfunctional chiral building block derived from (S)-ethyl lactate. Application to the synthesis of the sex pheromone of the southern corn rootworm (Diabrotica undecimpunctata howardi)

Highly enantiomerically pure (4S, 5E)-4-bromomethylhept-5-enenitrile was prepared from (S)-ethyl lactate by a six-step procedure involving a rearrangement of chiral cyclopropylcarbinol. This product was used for the synthesis of the sex pheromone of the southern corn rootworm (Diabrotica undecimpunctata howardi), (10R)-10-methyltridecan-2-one. For preliminary communication, see Ref. 1. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 1, pp. 151–155, January, 2000.