Bombykol
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Names | |
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| Preferred IUPAC name
(10E,12Z)-Hexadeca-10,12-dien-1-ol | |
| Identifiers | |
3D model (JSmol) |
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| ChEBI | |
| ChemSpider | |
PubChem CID |
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| UNII | |
CompTox Dashboard (EPA) |
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| Properties | |
| C16H30O | |
| Molar mass | 238.415 g·mol−1 |
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Bombykol is a pheromone released by the female silkworm moth to attract mates. It is also the sex pheromone in the wild silk moth (Bombyx mandarina).[1][2] Discovered by Adolf Butenandt in 1959, it was the first pheromone to be characterized chemically.[3]
Minute quantities of this pheromone can be used per acre of land to confuse male insects about the location of their female partners. It can thus serve as a lure in traps to remove insects effectively without spraying crops with large amounts of pesticides. Butenandt named the substance after the moth's Latin name Bombyx mori.[4]
In vivo it appears that bombykol is the natural ligand for a pheromone binding protein, BmorPBP, which escorts the pheromone to the pheromone receptor.[5]