ISOLATION OF (-)-HARDWICKIIC ACID AND 1-TRIACONTANOL FROh'l C R O T O S CA4LIFORSICUS DORIJ . L ~ Z B E T ASTERLISG B, J. TORRASCE, JOSEPH J. HOFFMASS and JACK R . COLE'
College of Pharmacy, 1-nii'ersity of Arizona, Tucson, .4Z 86721 C.S.A.
Crotolt cali,forMicusJIue11. &g. (EUPhorbiaceae) is an herbaceous shrub indigenous to the Sonoran D ~ ~ ~ ~ prepare ~ d ~ a hot i ~ poul~. tice from the powdered leaves as a pain reliever for rheumatism (1). extensive literature search revealed that C.califoriticus has been scree.ned for alkaloids, flavonoids, and saponinsnegative, and tannins-positive ( 2 ) . It Jl-as found that the chloroform extract demonstrated antimalarial activit!- (3). As a result of a phytochemical investigation of C.califoruicus. it was found that the ethanol extract of the dried \y\1ole plants contained the furanoid diterpene, (-)-hardm-ickiic acid, and the long chain alcohol, 1-triacontanol. ( - )-Jleth!-lbarbascoate! previous'!isolated and characterized from C. cal(forp2 jc2is by Jyilson et al. (1) and hardiIT-ickiic acid are closely related diterpenes of the trans clerodane class. jyhile ( -)-hardlVi,,kiic acid has been found to be present in Croton oblotzgif o l k s (4)! this is the first reported occurrence of both (-)-hardin-ickiic acid and 1-triacontanol in Crototi cali-
floF-ers, and fruits of Croton cal
