1,7-Cyclogermacra-1(10),4-dien-15-al, a sesquiterpene with a novel skeleton, and other sesquiterpenes from Haitian vetiver oil

The Chemistry of Agarwood Odorants

The phytochemistry of the fragrant infected heartwood of Aquilaria and Gyrinops species, agarwood (oud), is critically reviewed, highlighting the use of this remarkable natural raw material in perfumery. The chemistry of the two main groups of constituents of agarwood (sesquiterpenoids and chromones) is discussed, focusing particularly on the former structural type. The identities of the main key odorants of agarwood essential oil and of the smoke produced by heating the wood of agarwood are also discussed.

Essential oil of the malagasy grass Elionurus tristis Hack. contains several undescribed sesquiterpenoids

Essential oils (EOs) obtained from aerial parts and roots of Elionurus tristis were investigated by GC, GC-MS, pc-GC and NMR. Both aerial parts and roots EOs contained common molecules such as α-pinene, camphene, trans-α-bergamotene and calarene. Moreover, we identified several unusual sesquiterpenes and four undescribed compounds, 7-epi-khusian-2-ol, 4,8-di-epi-acorone, 2-epi-ziza-5-en-2-ol and antsorenone. The last one exhibits an undescribed natural sesquiterpene skeleton. All undescribed compounds were isolated and fully characterized by MS, 1D and 2D-NMR. Furthermore, the formation pathway of the Antsorane skeleton is discussed.

Synthesis of (+)-Lineariifolianone and Related Cyclopropenone-Containing Sesquiterpenoids

A synthesis of the proposed structure of lineariifolianone has been achieved in eight steps and 9% overall yield starting from (+)-valencene, leading to a reassignment of the absolute configuration of this unusual cyclopropenone-containing natural product. Key steps in the synthetic route include kinetic protonation of an enolate to epimerize the C7 stereocenter and a stereoconvergent epoxide opening to establish the trans-diaxial diol functionality. The syntheses of the enantiomers of two other closely related natural products are also reported, confirming that all three compounds belong to the eremophilane class of sesquiterpenoids.

Vetiver Essential Oil in Cosmetics: What Is New?

Background: Vetiver is a key ingredient for the perfume industry nowadays. However, with the constant and rapid changes of personal tastes, this appeal could vanish and this sector could decline quite quickly. New dissemination paths need to be found to tap this valuable resource. Methods: In this way, its potential use in cosmetics either as an active ingredient per se (with cosmeceutical significance or presenting antimicrobial activity) has hence been explored in vitro. Results: In this contribution, we demonstrated that vetiver essential oil displays no particularly significant and innovative cosmetic potential value in formulations apart from its scent already largely exploited. However, evaluated against twenty bacterial strains and two Candida species using the in vitro microbroth dilution method, vetiver oil demonstrated notably some outstanding activities against Gram-positive strains and against one Candida glabrata strain. Conclusions: Based on these findings, vetiver essential oil appears to be an appropriate aspirant for the development of an antimicrobial agent for medicinal purposes and for the development of a cosmetic ingredient used for its scent and displaying antimicrobial activity as an added value.

Integrated Analysis of the Bark Oil from Cinnamosma madagascariensis by GC(RI), GC-MS and NMR. 13C NMR data of Cyclocopacamphene and Cyclosativene

The composition of leaf and bark oils of Cinnamosma madagascariensis has been investigated by a combination of GC (RI), GC-MS and 13C NMR. The leaf oil contained mainly monoterpenes: myrcene (17.9%), limonene (17.8%), β-phellandrene (15.3%) and linalool (12.2%). The bark oil, investigated for the first time, contained β-pinene (49.9%) and α-pinene (19.5%) as major components. Special attention was paid to the identification of cyclocopacamphene, an epimer of cyclosativene. 13C NMR data of both compounds have been provided.

Constituents of South Indian Vetiver Oils

The essential oils isolated from vetiver [ Vetiveria zizanioides (L.) Nash.] roots collected from four locations in south India were analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS. Eighty constituents, representing 94.5-97.8% of the oils, have been identified. The oils from Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kundapur, and Mettupalayam were rich in sesquiterpenes and oxygenated sesquiterpenes with cedrane, bisabolane, eudesmane, eremophilane, and zizaane skeletons. The main components of the four essential oils were: eudesma-4,6-diene (δ-selinene) + β-vetispirene (3.9-6.1%), β-vetivenene (0.9-9.4%), 13- nor-trans-eudesma-4(15),7-dien-11-one + amorph-4-en-10-ol (5.0-6.4%), trans-eudesma-4(15),7-dien-12-ol (vetiselinenol) + (E)-opposita-4(15),7(11)-dien-12-ol (3.7-5.9%), eremophila-1(10),11-dien-2α-ol (nootkatol) + ziza-6(13)-en-12-ol (khusimol) (16.1-19.2%), and eremophila-1(10),7(11)-dien-2α-ol (isonootkatol) + (E)-eremophila-1(10),7(11)-12-ol (isovalencenol) (5.6-6.9%). The important compounds that impart the characteristic vetiver odor are: khusimene, δ-selinene, β-vetivenene, cyclocopacamphan-12-ol (epimers A and B), vetiselinenol, khusimol, isovalencenol, khusimone, α-vetivone, and β-vetivone. The chemical profiles of the oils are comparable to Haitian vetiver oil.

Bisabolyl-derived sesquiterpenes from tobacco 5-epi-aristolochene synthase-catalyzed cyclization of (2Z,6E)-farnesyl diphosphate

We report the structures and stereochemistry of seven bisabolyl-derived sesquiterpenes arising from an unprecedented 1,6-cyclization (cisoid pathway) efficiently catalyzed by tobacco 5-epi-aristolochene synthase (TEAS). The use of (2Z,6E)-farnesyl diphosphate as an alternate substrate for recombinant TEAS resulted in a robust enzymatic cyclization to an array of products derived exclusively (>/=99.5%) from the cisoid pathway, whereas these same products account for ca. 2.5% of the total hydrocarbons obtained using (2E,6E)-farnesyl diphosphate. Chromatographic fractionations of extracts from preparative incubations with the 2Z,6E substrate afforded, in addition to the acyclic allylic alcohols (2Z,6E)-farnesol (6.7%) and nerolidol (3.6%), five cyclic sesquiterpene hydrocarbons and two cyclic sesquiterpene alcohols: (+)-2-epi-prezizaene (44%), (-)-alpha-cedrene (21.5%), (R)-(-)-beta-curcumene (15.5%), alpha-acoradiene (3.9%), 4-epi-alpha-acoradiene (1.3%), and equal amounts of alpha-bisabolol (1.8%) and epi-alpha-bisalolol (1.8%). The structures, stereochemistry, and enantiopurities were established by comprehensive spectroscopic analyses, optical rotations, chemical correlations with known sesquiterpenes, comparisons with literature data, and GC analyses. The major product, (+)-2-epi-prezizaene, is structurally related to the naturally occurring tricyclic alcohol, jinkohol (2-epi-prezizaan-7beta-ol). Cisoid cyclization pathways are proposed by which all five sesquiterpene hydrocarbons are derived from a common (7R)-beta-bisabolyl(+)/pyrophosphate(-) ion pair intermediate. The implications of the "cisoid" catalytic activity of TEAS are discussed.

A Novel Approach to Prezizaane Sesquiterpenes

Prezizaane sesquiterpenes are an olfactorily interesting class of tricyclic natural products, which occur in some precious perfumery raw materials. These compounds are biosynthetically derived from farnesyl pyrophosphate via cyclization, but some questions regarding the stereoselectivity of this process have not yet been answered. We discuss a novel and concise access to the tricyclic framework of these sesquiterpenes, as exemplified by the synthesis of (+/-)-5-epi-sesquithuriferone (5-epi-4).

Biosynthesis of the sesquiterpene hodgsonox from the New Zealand liverwort Lepidolaena hodgsoniae

The incorporation of [1-13C] labelled glucose into hodgsonox, a sesquiterpene epoxide with a unique, doubly allylic ether functionality has been studied in axenic cultures of the liverwort Lepidolaena hodgsoniae. Quantitative 13C NMR spectroscopic analysis showed that the isoprene units are derived exclusively from the methylerythritol phosphate pathway.