Of the numerous syntheses of juvenile hormone, none has yet led to the optically active product. Meyer and Hanzmannl recently demonstrated that material isolated from the Cecropia moth, consisting of a 9: 1 mixture of the C-18 and C-17 hormones, is optically active ([cr]~-4-7"); hence the production of the synthetic enantiomeric forms of the hormones gains importance, particularly with respect to making both isomers available for biological ...
