Synthesis of diastereomeric mixture of 15,19,23-trimethylheptatriacontane, contact sex pheromone of tsetse fly,Glossina morsitans morsitans westwood.

A nine-step synthesis is described for a diastereomeric mixture of 15,19,23-trimethylheptatriacontane, a contact sex pheromone ofGlossina morsitans morsitans Westwood. The compound has been synthesized by means of double alkylation of diethyl 3-oxoglutarate (DEOG) with 3-methyl-2-heptadecenyl methanesulfonate, which was readily prepared from 1-hexadecene, as the key step.