A facile asymmetric synthesis of (s)-14-methyl-1-octadecene, the sex pheromone of the peach leafminer moth.

An asymmetric synthesis of 14-methyl-1-octadecene, the sex pheromone of the peach leafminer moth has been achieved. The target molecule was synthesized in six linear steps and in 30.3% overall yield from commercially available hexanoyl chloride, (S)-4-benzyloxazolidin-2-one and 1,9-nonanediol. The hexanoyl chloride was connected with (S)-4-benzyloxazolidin-2-one, and with the induction of the chiral oxazolidinone auxiliary, after chiral methylation, LAH reduction and then tosylation gave the chiral key intermediate 5 in high stereoselectivity. 1,9-Nonanediol, was selectively brominated, THP protected and subjected to Li₂CuCl₄-mediated C-C coupling to afford a C12 intermediate. The target molecule, (S)-14-methyl-1-octadecene, was obtained after the two parts were subjected to a second Li₂CuCl₄-mediated C-C coupling. Our synthetic approach represents the first time a substrate-control asymmetric synthesis of (S)-14-methyl-1-octadecene has been reported.