An Easy and Adjustable One-Pot Access to Pheromonal Blends of Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) Relying on a Key Ligand- and Additive-Free Iron-Catalyzed Cross-Coupling

We describe in this report a convenient convergent synthesis of the pheromonal blend of Spodoptera frugiperda, relying on a key ligand- and additive-free iron-catalyzed cross-coupling, operating at a low 0.1 mol % catalytic charge. This approach relies on the use of the same electrophilic partner for the preparation of the three components of the blend, which can be prepared altogether in a single step in 94% isolated yield. Overall, the pheromonal blend is obtained with a 61% yield at a 20 g scale, with accurate control of the distribution of its three components.