Insect pheromones identified in African elephant urine using spde/gc-ms

CHED 411

Mindy S. Eggert, eggertms@hendrix.edu1, Sam J. House, housesj@hendrix.edu1, Margaret E. Weddell, weddellme@hendrix.edu1, Thomas E. Goodwin, goodwin@hendrix.edu1, L. E. L. Rasmussen2, and Bruce A. Schulte3. (1) Department of Chemistry, Hendrix College, 1600 Washington Avenue, Conway, AR 72032, (2) Department of Environmental BioMolecular Systems, OGI School of Science and Engineering, OHSU, Beaverton, OR 97006, (3) Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA 30460
The Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) preovulatory pheromone, (Z)-7-dodecenyl acetate is also a sexual signal in over 100 species of moth (L. E. L. Rasmussen et al., Nature 1996, 379, 684; L. E. L. Rasmussen, Chem. Senses 2001, 26, 611). The beetle pheromone frontalin is a chemical signal found in the temporal gland secretions of male Asian elephants in musth (L. E. L.Rasmussen and D. R. Greenwood Chem. Senses 2003, 28, 433). Using solid phase dynamic extraction (SPDE: J. Lipinski, Fresenius J. Anal. Chem. 2001, 369, 57; C. Bicchi et al., J. Chrom. A, 2004, 1024, 217) and GC-MS, we have identified several insect pheromones in the urine of African elephants (Loxodonta Africana), which may possibly serve as chemical signals. Our methodologies and results will be detailed in this presentation.
 

Undergraduate Research Poster Session: Organic Chemistry
11:00 AM-1:00 PM, Monday, 27 March 2006 Georgia World Congress Center -- Ex. Hall B4, Poster

Division of Chemical Education

The 231st ACS National Meeting, Atlanta, GA, March 26-30, 2006