Synthesis of the aggregation pheromone of Tribolium castaneum

• Biyu An,
• Xueyang Wang,
• Ao Jiao,
• Qinghua Bian and
• Jiangchun Zhong

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2025, 21, 510–514, doi:10.3762/bjoc.21.38

• is a destructive stored product pest. The aggregation pheromone of this pest was prepared via a new and effective strategy. The key steps include the ring-opening reaction of chiral 2-methyloxirane, the stereospecific inversion of chiral secondary tosylate, Li2CuCl4-catalyzed coupling of tosylate

• with Grignard reagent, and oxidation with RuCl3/NaIO4. Keywords: aggregation pheromone; chiral 2-methyloxirane; red flour beetle; total synthesis; Introduction The red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum Herbst (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), is a cosmopolitan, destructive stored product pest [1], which