Concise total synthesis of (3Z,6Z,9S,10R)-9,10-epoxy-1,3,6-heneicosatriene, sex pheromone component of Hyphantria Cunea

The total synthesis of (3Z,6Z,9S,10R)-9,10-epoxy-1,3,6-heneicosatriene, sex pheromone component of Hyphantria cunea, using a convergent synthetic strategy, was achieved through the regioselective coupling of the two fragments, chiral epoxy tosylate and 1,4-diyne. The former fragment was synthesized in two efficient and convenient approaches starting from the same available material using Sharpless AE kinetic resolution as the key step.