Production of (5R,6S)-6-acetoxy-5-hexadecanolide, the mosquito oviposition pheromone, from the seed oil of the summer cypress plant, Kochia scoparia (Chenopodiaceae)

Olagbemiro, T., Birkett, M., Mordue, A. J. and Pickett, J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8386-3770 1999. Production of (5R,6S)-6-acetoxy-5-hexadecanolide, the mosquito oviposition pheromone, from the seed oil of the summer cypress plant, Kochia scoparia (Chenopodiaceae). Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 47 (8) , pp. 3411-3415. 10.1021/jf990294b

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Abstract

The oviposition pheromone for the pathogen-vectoring mosquitoes in the genus Culex (Diptera:  Culicidae), that is, (5R,6S)-6-acetoxy-5-hexadecanolide, is efficiently synthesized, in admixture with the inactive (5S,6R) enantiomer (∼33% w/w), from the fixed oil extracted from the seeds of the summer cypress plant, Kochia scoparia (Chenopodiaceae), cultivated on an industrial scale. Oviposition bioassays using gravid females of Culex quinquefasciatus, a vector of filariasis in human beings, showed that the product was attractive, with activity comparable to that of a pure synthetic sample containing the same amount of the active enantiomer. Production of the pheromone in the form of a biologically active crude material via a cheap and renewable plant suitable for development as a new industrial crop provides the basis for control of Cx. quinquefasciatus and other congeneric vectors of pathogens in resource-poor areas of the world.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Chemistry
Publisher:	American Chemical Society
ISSN:	0021-8561
Last Modified:	25 Feb 2026 11:15
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/185205

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