Sex Pheromone of pine sawflies. Chiral syntheses of some active minor components isolated from neodiprion sertifer and of some chiral analogues of diprionyl acetate.

The chiral syntheses of some analogues, 2 - 7, of 3,7-dimethyl-2-pentadecanol, 1 (diprionol), and of the corresponding acetates are described. The acetate of 1 is the main attractant in the sex pheromone of the Neodiprion genus (Diprionidae). Compounds 2 /2- 4 were identified as minor components isolated from females of Neodiprion sertifer. Synthetic intermediates were prepared either from chiral starting materials, via asymmetric syntheses, or by baker's yeast reductions.