Dacrydium cupressinum

The first naturally occurring member of the class of fenestranes is the diterpene lauren-l-ene (27), isolated in 1979 from the essential oil of Dacrydium cupressinum. The intermediate (26) for Wender s stereocontrolled synthesis of (27) is readily accessible by attack of KOH on the tosyloxy ketone (25) to give, via fragmentation, a carboxylate anion which undergoes immediate ring closure to the lactone (26 Scheme 12). 

Figure 1.11. Helical thickenings overlying Figure 1.12. A strand of axial parenchyma the S3 layer in Pseudotsuga menziesii. A cells containing starch grains in the wood of growth ring boundary divides this photo Dacrydium cupressinum. x 630. with latewood tracheids to the left, x 400.

An interesting aspect of natural product chemistry is the origin of the names of compounds. Often they are derived from the Latin name of the plant from which the product was first isolated. The name rimuene, however, is derived from the Maori name (n /nu) for Dacrydium cupressinum, a New Zealand Podocarp. The nomenclature of kaurene, copalyl-PP, and related compounds, derives from the initial isolation of compounds of these... 

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