In cold alcoholic alkali the optically
active compound I from Tigaso oil undergoes a rapid reaction which involves
loss of its conjugated carbonyl system, and a large change, with inversion, of
its optical rotation. The reaction is interpreted as a cyclization and the
product is provisionally formulated as a bicyclononane derivative IIa. In hot
alcoholic alkali, IIa is not the final product ; the bicyclic compound
undergoes further reaction to give a mixture in which the unsaturated
monocyclic triketone VII (R=C16H31) appears to
predominate, but which probably consists of a mixture of VII and VIII (R=C16H31).
These can be hydrogenated to a mixture of saturated monocyclic triketones VII
and VIII (R =C16H33). The same hydrogenated triketones
are obtained if IIa is first hydrogenated and then heated with alcoholic
alkali. These triketones are optically active and by oxidation with
hypobromite, or with permanganate and then hypobromite, yield bromoform and the
chemically homogeneous tribasic acid IX, which still retains optical activity.
The isolation of the saturated hydroxydiketone IIb in 4 per cent, yield from
hydrogenated Tigaso oil suggests that 11% is present to that extent in the
original oil.