Extractives from the Meliaceae and Melianthaceae, and investigations into enamine chemistry.

Abstract

Part A of this thesis is an account of the extractives isolated from one member of the Melianthaceae and two members of the Meliaceae. Plants belonging to these families are known to produce compounds with medicinal applications. Crude extracts from these plants are known to be widely used in traditional medicine. Structural elucidation was facilitated by the use of infrared, mass and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic techniques.

Three 20(29)-lupene type compounds (two known and one knew) were isolated from the bark of Bersama swinnyi (Melianthaceae); oleanolic acid was isolated from the leaves.

The Meliaceae family is only represented b~ one species, Dysoxylum spectabile, in New Zealand. Two diterpenoids and two limonoids were isolated from the bark.

The extracts of the rootbark and stembark of the hitherto uninvestigated species Turraea holstii (Gurke), supplied by Professor H. S. Rajab, Moi University, Kenya, were examined. Eight limonoids and a protolimonoid were isolated from the rootbark. A limonoid and a protolimonoid were isolated from the stembark. Some of the compounds isolated were found in both extracts. Four of the eight limonoids isolated were of the neotrichilenone type.

The spectra for the compounds discussed in this text are presented in a separate book.