Enantiospecific synthesis of (S)-(+)-3-methylheneicosan-2-one, an analog of the sex pheromone of the German cockroach (Blatella germanica L.) from (−)-(1R,4S)-menthone

An enantiospecific synthesis of (S)-(+)-3-methylheneicosan-2-one, an analog of the sex pheromone of the German cockroach (Blatella germanica L.), was carried out through selective transformations of (3R,6S)-3,7-dimethyloctane-6-olide obtained from (−)-menthonevia the Baeyer—Villiger reaction.