Zur Chemie des Phorbols, VIII
Oxidation of phorbol with one mole of lead tetraacetate yields bisdehydrophorbol, tiglophorbol and small amounts of phorbolacton-semiacetal. By chemical and spectroscopic investigations of bisdehydrophorbol and its derivatives its complete structure 16 is derived based upon the partial structures and structural elements of phorbol (1 - 3) which have been deduced in preceding communications. By consideration of the mechanism of the oxidative scission of the cyclopropanol unit in phorbol the structure 15 of this new tetracyclic diterpene is obtained. 15 has a pentamethyl-tetradecahydro-1H-cyclopropabenzazulene skeleton (tiglian) carrying as functional groups a tertiary hydroxyl group, an α,β-unsaturated tertiary 1.2-ketol group, a primary allyl alcohol group and a α- [hydroxycyclopropyl] -carbinol group. Phorbol is 4.9.12β.13.20-pentahydroxy-tigliadien- (1.6) -on- (3) (15) , bisdehydrophorbol 4.9.12β.20-tetrahydroxy-13.15-seco-tigliatrien- (1.6.15) -dion- (3.13) (16) the conformations of which have been determined. The structure of phorbolacton-semiacetal is determined in the following communication of this series. Based upon the structure of phorbol and additional chemical and spectroscopic evidence the structure of tiglophorbol (17) is also derived. With the data provided the relative configuration and the conformation of six out of the eight asymmetric centers of phorbol is determined.