Extractives of Australian timbers. X. Autoxidation and other reactions of the conjugated side-chain of eberlin lactone. Isolation of a new isomer of ebelin lactone

Abstract

The conjugated triene side-chain of ebelin lactone has been degraded in a stepwise manner using osmium tetroxide. A new isomer of ebelin lactone has been isolated from the sapogenin mixture and has been assigned the structure (9) in which the 25(26) double bond has the cis configuration. Autoxidation of ebelin lactone in the solid state yields a mixture from which three compounds have been isolated and identified; all three arise from oxidation of the side-chain at the terminal double bond and methyl groups.