Humulane-type

Naya and Kotake, in an examination of Japanese hop oil, have isolated three humulane-type compounds, viz., humuladienone (161, R = Me), humulenone II (161,R = =CH2), and humulol (162), in addition to the tricyclic diol (163, R = OH), m.p. 207 °C. This diol has already been prepared in two different ways (a) Sutherland et treated humulene (164) with AT-bromosuccini-mide in aqueous acetone and converted the resultant bromohydrin (163, R = Br) to the diol (163, R = OH), m.p. 205—206 °C, by hydrolysis, (b) McKervey and Wright obtained the same diol, m.p. 201—203 °C, by acid-catalysed (20% sulphuric acid) rearrangement of humulene 1,2-epoxide (165), a known natural product. On the basis of these findings and the fact that both caryophyllene (166) and humulene can be derived from the above bromohydrin by two in vitro steps, McKervey and Wright postulated that humulene 1,2-epoxide may be involved in the biosynthesis of the tricyclic diol and caryophyllene. This postulate does not, however, readily accommodate the observed rotations of the relevant... 

Plagiochila acanthophylla ssp. japonica contains a new humulane-type sesquiterpene ketone, bicyclohumulenone (453), together with cyclo-colorenone (38) and maalioxide (455) 234, 240). The absolute stereo-... 

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