17-<?- seredamine

Two further alkaloids have been obtained from the leaves of Rauwolfia reflexa Teijsm. et Binn.93 One of these was identified as purpeline (163), a structure which was confirmed by its demethylation to mitoridine (164). The second base, reflexine, C2iH26N202, m.pt. 260 °C, [a]D + 126°, exhibits the spectra of a dihydro-purpeline, and can in fact be prepared by the reduction (NaBH4) of purpeline. Reflexine (165) is thus the C-17 epimer of seredamine (166) and has not previously... 

Peraksine, norpurpeline (149), dihydronorpurpeline, endolobine (150), purpeline, seredamine, nortetraphyllicine, normacusine B, and desacetyl-picraline have been found in the stem bark of Rauwolfia cumminsii j two minor bases were tentatively identified as O-methylnormacusine B (17-methoxysar-pagan) and its Nb-oxide, and a third, as yet unidentified, is probably also a sarpagan derivative. Sarpagine, normacusine B, purpeline, norpurpeline, norseredamine, nortetraphyllicine, and 10-hydroxynortetraphyllicine occur in R. vomitoria stems an unknown base was provisionally formulated as (151), but the stability of the 7,17-bond in such a structure is very much in doubt. 

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