US researchers have used spectroscopy to identify the absolute configuration of the mealybug sex pheromone, with potential uses in pest control.An interdisciplinary team worked together to determine the 3D arrangements of the atoms in this molecule. Entomologist Jocelyn Millar and organic chemist Bruno Figadere at the University of California, Riverside, teamed up with an expert in vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectroscopy, Philip Stephens from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles.
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