Byers, J.A. 2002. Internet programs for drawing moth pheromone analogs
and searching literature database. Journal of Chemical Ecology 28:807-817.
Abstract--
An Internet web page is described for organizing and analyzing information about lepidopteran sex pheromone components.
Hypertext markup language (HTML) with JavaScript program code is used to draw moth pheromone analogs by combining GIF bitmap
images for viewing by
web browsers such as Netscape or Microsoft Internet Explorer. Straight-chain hydrocarbons of 5-22 carbons with epoxides
or unsaturated positions of E- or Z- geometrical configuration with several alternative functional groups
can be drawn by
simply checking menu bars or checkboxes representing chain length, E/Z unsaturation points, epoxide position and
chirality, and optional functional groups. The functional group can be an aldehyde, alcohol, or ester of formate,
acetate, propionate, or butyrate. The program is capable of drawing several million structures and naming them
[e.g., (E,E)-8,10-dodecadien-1-ol and abbreviated as E8E10-12:OH]. A Java applet program run from the same page
searches for the presently drawn structure in an internal database compiled from the Pherolist, and if the component is
found, provides a textarea display of the families and species using the component. Links are automatically specified for
drawn components if found in the Pherolist web site (maintained by H. Arn). Windowed links can also be made to two
other JavaScript programs that allow searches of a web site database with over 5900 research citations on lepidopteran
semiochemicals and a calculator of vapor pressures of some moth sex pheromone analogs at a specified temperature.
Various evolutionary and biosynthetic aspects are discussed in regard to the diversity of moth sex pheromone components.
Chemical Ecology
