USHINSUNINE

Description

An aporphine alkaloid isolated from Michelia alba, M. champaca and M. compressa, this base forms colourless crystals from MeOH or EtOH. It is laevorotatory having [α]¹⁸_D - 117° (CHCI3 ). A methylenedioxy group, a non-phenolic hydroxyl group and a methylimino group are present.

Occurrence

Polyalthia oliveri yields this aporphine alkaloid. The base yields colourless needles when crystallized from MeOH and is laevorotatory with a specific rotation of [α]D -64° (c 0.5, CHCI3). It gives an ultraviolet spectrum in EtOH with absorption maxima at 236, 275 and 315 nm.

References

Tomita, Furukawa., J. Pharm. Soc., Japan, 82, 925 (1962)
Yang et al., ibid, 82, 794, 798, 804, 811 (1962)
Yang et al., ibid, 83,216 (1963)
Absolute configuration: Kunimotoetal., Chem. Pharm. Bull., 19,1502 (1971)