PHYTOCHEMICAL STUDIES ON THE GENUS CROTALARIA

Summary

Besides 1–methylenepyrrolizidine, which is reported from Australian C. anagyroides, the authors have isolated senecionine from introduced Indian C. anagyroides. The main liquid alkaloid obtained from the crude base by distillation at 72–75°/36 mm. gave empirical formula C₈H₁₃N, picrate, m. p. 210–213° and picrolonate m. p. 172–173°. These characters as well as its IR and NMR show that it is identical with 1–methylenepyrrolizidine isolated by Culvenor and Smith (1959) from an Australian C. anagyroides. A solid base, empirical formula C₁₈H₂₅NO₅ m. p. 232–235° (decomp.), picrate m. p. 187–188°, methiodide m. p. 242–243° (decomp.) and nitrate m. p. 212–213° (decomp.) was also isolated. These characters as well as its IR show that it is indentical with senecionine, which is known to occur in C. juncea, Executes quadridentata and many Senecio species.

Zusammenfassung

In Crotalaria anagyroides (Leguminosae) wurde Senecionin nachgewiesen.