Stereoselective synthesis of (+)-sordidin, the male-produced aggregation pheromone of the banana weevil Cosmopolites sordidus

Stereoselective synthesis of (1S,3R,5R,7S)-(+)-sordidin, the natural male-produced aggregation pheromone of the banana weevil Cosmopolites sordidus (Germar) starting from 5-benzyloxy-(2E)-pentene-1-ol is described. The key transformations employed in the synthesis are Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation, Ueno–Stork cyclization, and Jacobsen kinetic resolution.