STRUCTURE-ACTIVITY CORRELATIONS AMONG ANALOGS OF THE CURRANT CLEARWING MOTH PHEROMONE

Eleven analogs of (E,Z)-2,13-octadecadien-1-yl acetate 1, a main phero mone component of the currant clearwing moth, Synanthedon tipuliformis Clerk (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae) were synthesized and tested for their b iological activities by electroantennography (EAG). To correct the EAG data for differences in volatility of the analogs, their vapor pressu res were estimated by a gas chromatographic method. All structural cha nges in the parent molecule were found to reduce the biological activi ty to various degrees. The most active analog tested was the carbamate 12, whose activity was almost comparable to that of the pheromone com ponent 1.-Structure-activity correlations showed that hydrophobic, ste ric, and electronic effects of chain terminal groups might be responsi ble for variations in biological activity of the conformationally unch anged (E,Z)-2,13-analogs