Hamster dimethyl disulfide

Macrides F., Johnson P.A. and Schneider S.P. (1977). Responses of the male golden hamster to vaginal secretion and dimethyl disulfide attraction versus sexual behaviour. Behav Biol 20, 377-386. 

O Connell R.J., Singer A.G., Pfaffmann C. and Agosta W. (1979). Pheromones of hamster vaginal discharge attraction to femtogram amounts of dimethyl disulfide and to mixtures of volatile components. J Chem Ecol 5, 575-585. 

A component of the vaginal secretion, dimethyl disulfide, was found to be the major sex attractant of the golden hamster [ 59 ]. Volatile alcohols, fatty acids and, interestingly, dimethyl trisulfide in the secretion do not appear to enhance the attractancy of the secretion [60]. However, proteins in the mass range of 15-16 kDa that are present in the vaginal secretion act as a mounting pheromone [61]. No comprehensive chemical characterization of the semiochemical secretions of golden hamsters has yet been undertaken. 

Singer, A. G., Agosta, W. C., O Connell, R. J., etal, (1976). Dimethyl disulfide an attrac-tant pheromone in hamster vaginal secretion. Science 191,948-950. 

Petrulis, A., and Johnston, R. E., 1995, A re-evaluation of dimethyl disulfide as a sex atlraclant in golden hamsters. Physiol. Behav. 57 779-784. 

Dimethyl disulfide, CH3S—SCH3, found in the vaginal secretions of female hamsters, acts as a sexual attractant for the male hamster. Write an equation for its synthesis from methanethiol. 

In a few cases these compounds have been identified. Dimethyl sulfide (56) and methylthiol butyrate (57) (MTB) were identified in the vaginal secretion of female hamsters (288, 289). Methylthiol butyrate is readily converted to methyl disulfide (58) (DMS) by hydrolysis and even more readily by aminolysis followed by air oxidation of the re-... 

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