Abstract A number of analogs of (Z)-5-decenyl acetate, a pheromone component of the turnip moth, Agrotis segetum, in which the acetate group has been replaced by functional groups that may function as bioisosters, have been synthesized and tested using single-cell electrophysiology. The activities have been interpreted in terms of the molecular electrostatic potentials of the polar functional group as calculated by ab initio quantum mechanical ...