The Salvia divinorum Research and Information Center - Shroomery

Salvinorin
Salvinorin, A New trans-Neoclerodane Diterpene from Salvia divinorum (Labiatae)
By - Alfredo Ortega,* Instituto de Quimica, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Ciudad
Universitaria, Mexico 20, D.F., Mexico
John F. Blount and Percy D. Manchand,* Chemical Research Department, Hoffmann-La Roche Inc.,
Nutley, New Jersey 07110, U.S.A.
(HTML by Arachnophilia)
Journal of the Chemical Society, Perkins Transactions I, 1982, 2505-2508.
Salvinorin, isolated from Salvia divinorum has been shown by spectroscopic and X-ray-crystallographic
methods to be a trans-neoclerodane diterpene of structure (1). Crystals of compound (1) are
orthorhombic, space group P21P21P21 with a = 6.368 (2), b = 11.338(3), c = 30.7100 (6) Å, and Z = 4.
The structure was refined by least-squares to R 0.052 and R' 0.056.
The essential oils produced by certain members of the widespread genus Salvia (Labiatae) are use
extensively in the food and cosmetic industries. Examples are Dalmatian sage oil from S. officinalis (used
to flavour certain foods) and Clary sage oil from S. Sclarea (used in perfumery). 1 S. divinorum ('hojas de
la Pastora', possibly identical with "pipiltzintzintli') is a relatively rare plant that is used by the Mazatec
Indians of Mexico in their divination rites, 2 but no previous chemical studies have been reported for it.
However, various bi- and tri-cyclic diterpenes have been isolated from other Salvia species. 3 Extraction
of the leaves of S. divinorum has now yielded a novel bicyclic diterpene, salvinorin (1), C23H28O8, whose structural elucidation forms the subject of this paper.
http://www.sagewisdom.org/ortega82.html (1 of 5) [04.09.01 10:21:20]