Ancistrotermes cavithorax

The principal component of the defensive secretion of the termite soldiers Ancistrotermes cavithorax has been shown by spectroscopic methods and synthesis to be ancistrofuran (28). Further studies on the components of the defence secretion of the West African termite species Amitermes evuncifer have revealed the presence of the two bicyclic ethers (29) and (30) together with the... 

The isolation, structural elucidation, and total synthesis of insect pheromones continue to be a very active area of natural product research (c/. Vol. 8, pp. 66, 102). A recent paper in this area describes the identification of ancistrodial (36) and ancistrofuran (37) as components of the defence secretion of termite soldiers Ancistrotermes cavithorax). 

Baker, R., Briner, P. H. and Evans, D. A. (1978) Chemical defence in the termite Ancistrotermes cavithorax ancistrodial and ancistrofuran. Chem. Commun., 410-11. 

In the above-mentioned works, 3 was converted to 21 (Fig. 12), which served as the key intermediate in the syntheses. For the preparation of an isomeric alcohol 22, its racemate was acetylated with vinyl acetate in the presence of lipase AK (Amano) to give the acetate (i )-23 and the remaining alcohol (5)-22 [48]. The enantiomers of 22 served as the intermediate for the synthesis of ancistrodial, a defense substance of a termite Ancistrotermes cavithorax [49], (5)-7-coronal, an ambergris odorant [48], and the enantiomer of the antibacterial terpene from Premna oligotricha [49]. 

T88 Ancistrotermes T89 Ips typographus, cavithorax, termite 604 bark beetle,605... 

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