Pentalenic acid Pentalenolactone

The fermentation broth of various Streptomyces species can be separated into an acidic fraction shown to contain pentalenic acid 776) The somewhat less oxidized pentalenolactone precursor has been independently prepared from humulene from which is is probably derived biogenetically Thus, treatment of humulene with mercuric nitrate followed by aqueous potassium bromide solution gave two bromo-mercury derivatives which were oxygenated in the presence of sodium borohydride. The resulting pair of diols (770 and 771) were separately converted to exo methylene... 

Intramolecular [2 + 2] photocycloadditions of 3-alkenylcyclopent-2-enones represent the key step in the total synthesis of various natural products, e.g. pentalenolactone 6-methyl ester19 and pentalenic acid,20 as well as in the preparation of strained fenestranes21 and laurenene.22 Similarly, the photoisomerization of 3-alkenylcyclohexcnoncs to tricyclo[6.3.0.01-6]undecanones are steps in the syntheses of tricyclic sesquiterpene isocomene23 and precursors to members of the acorane family.24... 

The pentalane class of sesquiterpenoids has received substantial attention in the past year from the standpoints of structural elucidation, biosynthesis, and synthesis. Two new metabolites of this class are pentalenic acid (298) and pentalenolactone H (299). Both these compounds have a secondary hydroxyl function adjacent to the gem-dimethyl group and are thus potential precursors of pentalenolactone (300) in which one of these methyl groups has undergone a 1,2-migration. Cane and Rossi " have now identified a further metabolite of a Streptomyces strain which has been named pentalenolactone E (301) and is now... 

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