Sex pheromonal activity of (+)-trans-verbenyl acetate and related compounds to the american cockroach,Periplaneta americana L.

The sex pheromone mimic of the American cockroach, (+)-trans-verbenyl acetate, and 67 synthesized analogs were tested for sex pheromonal activity using males of the cockroach. Only three esters in addition to the original (+)-trans-verbenyl acetate exhibited activity. (+)-trans-Verbenyl propionate and (+)-verbanyl acetate in particular showed stronger activity than the original mimic. None of the other analogs caused a response at the 1-mg level. The lower threshold levels at which even the most active analogs showed activity (0.02 mg) were many orders of magnitude higher than that of the natural pheromone, periplanone-B (10(-8) mg). From the structure-activity relationships, important structural factors for sex pheromonal activity in the original mimic were discussed.