A minor compound called salvinorin C was isolated from the leaves of the Mexican mint Salvia divinorum. Its chemical structure was determined using detailed proton and carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments, along with comparisons to the NMR data of three acetate derivatives made from the major reduction product of salvinorin A. This work adds to the understanding of the chemical constituents of this psychoactive plant.
A bioinspired collective synthesis strategy enabled the total syntheses of seven iboga-type indole alkaloids: tabertinggine, ibogamine, ibogaine, ibogaine hydroxyindolenine, 3-oxoibogaine hydroxyindolenine, iboluteine, and ervaoffines D. Tabertinggine and its congeners act as precursors for biomimetic transformations into other iboga-type alkaloids.
A new synthetic route to the ergot alkaloid lysergene and a formal total synthesis of LSD avoids palladium, using two nickel-catalyzed steps instead. A key intermediate previously reported by Hendrickson et al. in 2004 could not be reproduced with matching spectral data, raising doubts about their original route. However, the authors successfully leveraged this elusive intermediate to complete their own synthesis.