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Summary. The isolation and structure determination of Ag(15)-africanene (1) from the soft coral SinuIaria polydaetyla is described.Several recent reports 4-8 have shown that soft corals of the genus Sinularia constitute an interesting source of terpenoids. We have now investigated a further member of this genus: Sinularia polydaetyla, collected at Laing Island (Papua-New Guinea). Its major compound is a sesquiterpene hydrocarbon (1) whose structure determination is discussed here.Finely ground specimens of S.polydaetyla (200 g) were extracted with CHzC12 at room temperature, affording 6.5 g of an oily material which was chromatographed twice on a silica gel column (eluent:hexane) to yield 180 mg of hydrocarbon 1 (95% pure by GC, OV- 2005 independent reflections were measured on a Picker diffractometer (CuKa radiation) with 1095 being observed at 20 max= 120 ~ The structure was solved using the Multan 78 programs 11 and the refinements were realised using the X-ray 72 programs 12. Rrmat= 0.

Supplementary Material Available: Observed and calculated structure factor amplitudes, atomic coordinates (Table I), and anisotropic temperature factors (Table II) (19 pages). Ordering information is given on any current masthead page.

Investigation of the roots of Neorautanenia mitis, collected in Rwanda (Central Africa), revealed the presence of three compounds, neotenone [1], dolineone [3], and pachyrrhizine [2], which were previously isolated from Neorautanenia pseudopachyrrhiza, the former name of the title plant. However, neotenone [1], which was previously reported as an optically inactive substance, was isolated now in optically active form for the first time. In addition, four isoflavanone-type compounds were isolated for the first time from N. mitis, including dehydroneotenone [51, neoduline [4], 12a-hydroxydolineone [6], and 12a-hydroxyrotenone [7]. Detailed 360 MHz nmr spectra of all compounds are reported for the first time, providing correction to previously incorrectly reported low resolution data. Also, the 13C-nmr and mass spectral data of all these compounds are reported for the first time. The petroleum ether total extract of N. mitis roots showed significant acaricidal properties that were attributed to the presence of 12a-hydroxyrotenone [7].Neorautanenia species are a widespread group of Fabaceae (Papilionaceae) plants of Central and South Africa and are known for their poisonous properties (1). These plants are used by the native population as fish poison (2-5) and insecticide (6,7), while in the traditional medicine of Central Africa they are used against syphilis (8) and the treatment of female frigidity.4 The possible use of some of these plants for killing bilharziacarrying fresh water snails of the genera Bulinus and Biophalaria has also been reported (9).Several chemical studies have been performed already on Neorautanenia species, among others N. ficifolia (3,14,15), N. edulis (2,4,12,16,18), N. pseudopachyrrhiza (10,11,13), N. amboensis (5,12,17,19), and the related Pachyrrhizus erosus (20)(21)(22). In the course of our investigation on medicinal plants from Rwanda (Central Africa) we investigated Neorautanenia mitis (A. Rich.) Verdcourt (local name "Igitembatenibe" or "Amakubwe") on its insecticidal and acaricidal properties because of some promising