New Guaiane Metabolites from the Caribbean Gorgonian Coral, <i>Pseudopterogorgia americana</i>

Abstract

Six new sesquiterpenes having the guaiane skeleton were isolated from the hexane extract of the Caribbean gorgonian coral Pseudopterogorgia americana collected in Puerto Rico. Their structure assignments and relative stereochemistries were based on interpretation of spectroscopic data, molecular modeling studies, and comparisons with known compounds. Most of the new metabolites were found to be quite labile and decomposed slowly under normal spectral measurement conditions.