Polyacetates, natural products derived

The intriguing structural complexity and often potent biological activity exhibited by many polyacetate-derived natural products have generated a continuing interest in the development of efficient, stereoselective approaches to the assembly of repeating l -diol subunits. One such method is the alkylation and reduc-... 

Dictyopterene B (1) is one of the polyacetate-derived cyclopropane-containing natural products and is isolated from the essential oil of brown algae Dictyopteris plagiogramma and D. australis. This tri-olefinic cyclopropane is a sex pheromone released by the female plants to attract male gametes. This unusual Cn hydrocarbon along with other Dicyopteris constituents has a characteristic odor associated with ocean beaches. A second... 

Arthropods produce a wide range of metabolites derived from simple fatty acid or polyacetate precursors. The most well-studied fatty acid-derived natural products are no doubt the volatile sex pheromones prevalent among the Lepidoptera, although fatty acids and derivatives also function in additional roles, including defense, as well as in their recently discovered capacity as elicitors of plant defense mechanisms. Fatty acids furthermore serve as biosynthetic precursors to some important families of defensive alkaloids, such as the coccinellines and polyazamacrolides (PAMLs) (Section 2.04.6.1). As mentioned earlier, volatile pheromones are discussed in Chapter 4.04. 

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