Chirality and insect pheromones

Enantioselective synthesis is a central component of research on the effect of chirality on the relationships between pheromone structure and pheromone bioactivity. The syntheses of stegobinone, the drugstore beetle pheromone, and frontalin, a bark beetle pheromone, are reported as examples of stereocontrolled synthesis. Chirality governs the biodiversity of pheromone perception, as illustrated by the discussion on the relationships between absolute configuration and pheromone activity. (C) 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.