New Phenylphenalene Derivatives from Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes)

Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) is a cause of great concern in terms of environmental and agricultural impacts in many parts of the world. Phytochemical investigation of water hyacinth led to the isolation of six new phenylphenalenes, 2,3‐dihydro‐3,9‐dihydroxy‐5‐methoxy‐4‐phenyl‐1H‐phenalen‐1‐one ( 1 ), 2,3‐dihydro‐8‐methoxy‐9‐phenyl‐1H‐phenalene‐1,4‐diol ( 2 ), 2,3‐dihydro‐4,8‐dimethoxy‐9‐phenyl‐1H‐phenalen‐1‐ol ( 3 ), 2,3‐dihydro‐9‐(4‐hydroxyphenyl)‐8‐methoxy‐1H‐phenalene‐1,4‐diol ( 4 ), 2,6‐dimethoxy‐9‐phenyl‐1H‐phenalen‐1‐one ( 5 ), and 7‐(4‐hydroxyphenyl)‐5,6‐dimethoxy‐1H‐phenalen‐1‐one ( 6 ), together with the four known compounds 7 – 10 . Their structures were elucidated by spectrometric methods including 1D‐ and 2D‐NMR, and MS analysis. These compounds may be involved in allelopathic interactions of water hyacinth with neighboring plants.     

The isomers of phenalene and their singlet and triplet states: A Hartree–Fock and density functional computational investigation

Each of the isomers of phenalene, 1H-, 2H-, 3aH-, and 9bH-phenalene, as well as the cation, neutral radical, and anion in the phenalenyl system, have been examined at the Hartree–Fock 6-31G(d) and the density functional B3LYP/6-31G(d) levels of theory. The structures and properties of the phenalenes were determined as both singlets and triplets. While the data indicate that both the 9bH- and the 1H-isomer will exist as ground state singlets, the 2H- and 3aH-phenalenes are predicted to exist as ground state triplets; only the synthesis of the 1H-isomer has been reported in the literature. Structurally, 1H- and 2H-phenalene are planar systems, 3aH- and 9bH-phenalene are non-planar systems puckered at the saturated carbon, and the cation, neutral radical, and anion of phenalenyl are planar D_3h systems.