African elephant sesquiterpenes. II. Identification and synthesis of new derivatives of 2,3-dihydrofarnesol.

A search for potential semiochemicals revealed nerolidol (6), albicanol (7), and the new 2,3-dihydrofarnesol derivatives 8-10 in the temporal gland secretions of African elephants. A novel synthesis from (E,E)-farnesol (1) provided compounds 8-10 for GC-MS comparison to the natural products. This study confirms the farnesol family as frequently occurring secondary metabolites in African elephant temporal gland secretions.