PSEUDACONITINE, AND THE STEREOCHEMICAL RELATIONSHIP OF THE HIGHLY OXYGENATED ACONITE ALKALOIDS

Abstract

An alkaloid isolated from Aconitum spicatum Stapf has been found to be identical not only with the originally described pseudaconitine but also with 'α-pseudaconitine'. The product of the partial hydrolysis of the base, i.e., veratroylpseudaconine, is dextrorotatory, and not laevorotatory as recorded in the old literature. On heating, pseudaconitine undergoes pyrolysis, loses the elements of acetic acid, and gives rise to pyropseudaconitine. This substance, on treatment with lithium aluminum hydride, is converted to demethoxyisopyropseudaconine which is identical with the Wolff–Kishner reduction product of pyraconine. This correlation establishes that pseudaconitine and aconitine possess the same absolute configuration, which, in the light of previous knowledge, is extended also to indaconitine, delphinine, mesaconitine, and jesaconitine.