Zada, A., Institute of Plant Protection, The Volcani Center, ARO, 50250, Bet Dagan, Israel
Harel, M., Institute of Plant Protection, The Volcani Center, ARO, 50250, Bet Dagan, Israel

(R) and (S)-lavandulol are important compounds in the cosmetics industry and in pheromone research. The senecioyl ester of (S)-lavandulyl has recently been identified as the sex pheromone of the vine mealybug, a significant pest in vineyards. We herein report the preparation of the two enantiomers of lavandulol and lavandulyl senecioate, starting from racemic lavandulol. The preparation is based on a two-cycle enzymatic transesterification of racemic lavandulol with vinyl acetate using Porcine pancreas lipase. High enantioselectivity was achieved while the preparation yielded (R)-lavandulol with 96.7% ee and (S)-lavandulol with 92.6% ee. © 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.