Myrmicacin

Chemical compound

Myrmicacin (3-hydroxydecanoic acid) is a chemical compound of the β-hydroxycarboxylic acid class. It is named after the South American leaf-cutter ants (Myrmicinae) in which it was first discovered,^[1] but is also found in royal jelly.^[2] Myrmicacin is believed to act as a herbicide which prevents seeds collected by the ants from germinating within the nest.^[1]

See also

• 3,10-Dihydroxydecanoic acid
• 3,11-Dihydroxydodecanoic acid

References

1. Schildknecht, Hermann; Koob, Knut (1971). "Myrmicacin, The First Insect Herbicide". Angewandte Chemie International Edition in English. 10 (2): 124–125. doi:10.1002/anie.197101241. ISSN 0570-0833. PMID 4995467.
2. Kodai, T; Nakatani, T; Noda, N (2011). "The absolute configurations of hydroxy fatty acids from the royal jelly of honeybees (Apis mellifera)". Lipids. 46 (3): 263–70. doi:10.1007/s11745-010-3497-x. PMID 21082360. S2CID 4039489.