| Abstract: | From the leaves of the West African plant (Apocynaceae Hedranthera barteri) has been isolated the phenolic (?)-desmethyl-vobtusine ( 3 ), alongside the already known bisindole alkaloids (?)-goziline ( 1 ) and (?)-vobtusine ( 2 ). The new alkaloid 3 has been spectroscopically characterised and correlated with (?)-vobtusine ( 2 ). Furthermore, the ‘monomeric’ alkaloids (?)-hedrantherine ( 4 ) and (?)-17-hydroxy-hedran-therine ( 5 ) were found in the leaves of H. barteri. Both of these alkaloids contain a cyclic semiacetal group. These bases and their derivatives possessing an unchanged β-anilinoacrylester group show, in the mass spectrometer, the same characteristic fragmentation as vincadifformine ( 11 ), whilst their 2,3-dihydroderivatives bear more of a resemblance to aspidospermine. From the strongly negative Cotton effect of 4 and 22 at 300–350 nm follows the absolute configuration in these bases of centre 12. Hedrantherine ( 4 ) represents the lower half of the bisindole type of vobtusine bases. The upper half has previously been encountered in form of the alkaloid beninine in the rootbark of H. barteri. |
