Pheromone synthesis. Part 256: Synthesis of the four stereoisomers of 5,11-dimethylpentacosane, a new sex pheromone component of the male Galleria mellonella (L.), with high stereochemical purities as determined by the derivatization-HPLC analysis of the

All the four stereoisomers of 5,11-dimethylpentacosane (>96.8% purity) were synthesized via the stereoisomers of 5,11-dimethyl-8-pentacosanol, whose stereoisomeric compositions could be determined precisely by their low temperature HPLC analysis after derivatization. 5,11-Dimethyl-8-pentacosanol was prepared by a Grignard reaction between 3-methylheptylmagnesium bromide and 4-methyloctadecanal, both of which were prepared from the commercially available enantiomers of citronellal (97-98% ee). Alternatively, (R)-3-methyl-1-heptanol could be prepared from methyl (R)-3-hydroxybutanoate (100% ee). Pd/C-catalyzed hydrogenation of a 5-methyl-1-alkene caused partial racemaization at C-5.