Insect pheromones and their analogues

A scheme has been developed for the synthesis of (R)-(–)-10-methyltridecan-2-one, the sex pheromone of the southern corn rootworm (Diabrotica undecimpunctata) using as the chiral synthon (R)-(+)-methylheptenal obtained by the hydroperoxide oxidation of the readily available (S)-(+)-dihydromyrcene.Institute of Chemistry, Bashkir Scientific Center, Urals Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Ufa. Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 1, pp. 125–129, January–February, 1992.