Alkaloids from Plants in the Peoples Republic of China

Alkaloids from Plants in the Peoples Republic of China.—In a report for which the original paper was not available for review, Chinese researchers13 have determined that vilmorrianine B corresponds to the previously reported karakoline (22). The base vilmorrianine D was identified as (23) from the mass-spectral and 13C n.m.r. data. From the substantial number of unknown alkaloids previously isolated from Chinese species,14 the structure elucidation of more of these bases will hopefully be reported in the near future. 

The Structure of Nitro-iV-nitrosoaconitinic Acid.—Oxidation of aconitine (14), mesaconitine (24), and their derivatives with nitric acid was reported to yield 

This novel 2-nitrocyclohex-2-en-l-one system has a pKa value comparable to those of carboxylic acids. 

---