Determination of chirality in 5-hydroxy-4-methyl-3-heptanone, the aggregation pheromone ofSitophilus oryzae (L.) andS. zeamais Motschulsky.

The chirality of the pheromone of the rice weevil,Sitophilus oryzae (L.), and the maize weevil,S. zeamais (Motschulsky), 5-hydroxy-4-methyl-3-heptanone, was determined using an acetyl lactate derivatization procedure. Maize weevils were shown to produce >98% 4S,5R. Determination was more difficult with rice weevils due to a smaller quantity of insect extract, but they were shown to produce at least 92% 4S, 5R.