Diterpenes from Colophospermum mopane: "missing links" in the biogenesis of 9,13-epoxylabdanes
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Updated: Aug 12, 2026

Transient Expression in Nicotiana Benthamiana Leaves for Triterpene Production at a Preparative Scale
Published on: August 16, 2018
Emily Reiter1, Edward Treadwell, Ericka Cederstrom
1Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska 99775-6160, USA
Abstract:
Moponeol A (1) and moponeol B (2) were isolated from Colophospermum mopane along with a mixture of their corresponding aldehydes (3 and 4). These substances are primitive diterpenes that we view as the "missing links" in the biosynthesis of the 9,13-epoxylabdanes. The structures of 1 and 2 were elucidated by a combination of spectra (NMR and MS) of the isolates and their mono-p-bromobenzoyl derivatives. The structures of 3 and 4 were confirmed by their ready reduction to 1 and 2. The biosynthetic implications of the stereochemical assignments of these terpenoids are briefly discussed.
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