A series of sesquiterpenes with a 7.ALPHA.-isopropyl side chain and compounds isolated from Curcuma wenyujin.

Abstract

Sesquiterpenoids possessing a 7α-isopropyl group, such as curcumol (1a), curdione (2a), curcumalactone (3), and a new epoxy germacrane, (1R, 10R)-epoxy-(-)-1, 10- dihydrocurdione (5a), were isolated from the essential oil of Curcuma wenyujin. Other related new sesquiterpenes, neocurdione (4) and (1S, 10S), (4S, 5S)-germacrone-1(10), 4-diepoxide (6) were also isolated from this plant. The stereostructures and absolute configurations of these sesquiterpenes were established on the basis of spectroscopic and chemical data as well as X-ray crylstallographic analyses.