Apis mellifera queen substance

Interest in the vitamin B12 catalyzed light assisted electrolysis directed to the preparation of fine chemicals has been well illustrated in the synthesis of some natural products. One typical example is the synthesis of the Queen substance of Apis mellifera which involves two efficient electrochemical C,C-bond-forming steps by addition to conjugated double and triple bonds (Scheme 4) [63]. 

Callow R. K. and Johnson N. C. (1960) The chemical constitution and synthesis of queen substance of honeybees (Apis mellifera L.). Bee World 41, 152-153. 

One of the reported syntheses of ( )-9-oxodec-2-enoic acid 392, the queen substance of the honey bee Apis mellifera, uses two ylide reactions 222). Starting from pimelic acid 385 the resonance-stabilized ylide 386 is prepared by alkylation of methylene-triphenylphosphorane 209 and the former hydrolyzed to 7-oxooctanoic acid 387. Reduction of the corresponding thiol ester 389 and olefination of the resulting aldehyde 390 with phosphorane 67 gives the ( )-2-unsaturated ester 391. The latter was hydrolyzed to pheromone 392 222) (Scheme 69). 

Queen substance of honey bee Apis mellifera. Cryst. (MeOH aq. or Me2CO). Mp 54-55.5 . Bpo.ooi 37-39 . 

Receptor cells specialized to pheromones have also been studied in other insect groups. In the honey bee. Apis mellifera, two separate cell types have been observed, one for queen substance and another for the alarm pheromone... 

Royal jelly is a milky white, viscous substance secreted by the pharyngeal glands of the worker bee (honeybee). Apis mellifera L., an insect of the family Apidae. It is the food for all bee larvae for the first three days of life but is reserved as food for queen bees for the rest... 

Figure 3.32 The substances that make up the queen substance of Apis mellifera. The...

Queen substance (338), the multi-purpose pheromone of the honey bee (Apis mellifera), was obtained from substituted 5-bromothiophenes by Tamaru et al. (640). 

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