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A new 3-substituted-5-diazenylcyclopentendione named kongiidiazadione was isolated from culture filtrates of Diaporthe kongii, associated with stem cankers on sunflower in Australia. Kongiidiazadione was characterized by spectroscopic (essentially nuclear magnetic resonance [NMR] and high-resolution, electrospray ionization, mass spectrometry [HRESIMS]) methods as (-)-5-diazenyl-3-hydroxymethyl-cyclopent-3-en-1,2-dione. The stereochemistry of the diazenyl group was determined by IR spectroscopy, while the (R) absolute configuration at C(5) was assigned by computational analysis of its electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectrum. When assayed on leaf disks of different plant species at 5 mM, the kongiidiazadione had a differential impact, causing clear necrosis, in particular to Helianthus annuus. Moreover, kongiidiazadione proved to have a weak antibacterial activity against gram-positive Bacillus amyloliquefaciens.

A time-dependent Density Functional Theory (TDDFT) computational simulation of the electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectrum of the phytotoxin scytalone (1), produced by different plant pathogenic fungi and involved in melanin production, was undertaken with the aim to establish a nonempirical correlation between the spectrum and the absolute configuration of this compound. In fact, very low optical rotation data of 1 do not afford a reliable absolute configuration assignment while, on the contrary, the use of ECD can provide a useful tool for its stereochemical description. This structurally simple molecule displayed a considerable molecular flexibility, which made it mandatory to obtain an accurate conformers distribution to get a good reproduction of the experimental ECD spectrum. Only the application of an implicit integral equation formalism Polarizable Continuum Model (IEF-PCM) solvation model in the calculations allowed us to properly describe the conformer populations and finally obtain a more than satisfactoryspectral simulation.

Pyricularia grisea has been identified as a foliar pathogen on buffelgrass (Cenchrus ciliaris) in North America and was studied as a potential source of phytotoxins for buffelgrass control. Two monosubstituted hex-4-ene-2,3-diols, named pyriculins A and B, were isolated from its culture filtrate organic extract together with (10S,11S)-(−)-epipyriculol, trans-3,4-dihydro-3,4,8-trihydroxy-1(2H)-napthalenone, and (4S)-(+)-isosclerone. Pyriculins A and B were characterized by spectroscopic (essentially nuclear magnetic resonance [NMR], High-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry [HRESIMS]) and chemical methods such as (4E)-1-(4-hydroxy-1,3-dihydroisobenzofuran-1-yl)hex-4-ene-2,3-diols. The relative and absolute configuration of these compounds was determined by a combination of spectroscopic (NMR, electronic circular dichroism [ECD]) and computational tools. When bioassayed in a buffelgrass coleoptile and radicle elongation test, (10S,11S)-(−)-epipyriculol proved to be the most toxic compound. Seed germination was much reduced and slowed with respect to the control and radicles failed to elongate. All five compounds delayed germination, but only (10S,11S)-(−)-epipyriculol was able to prevent radicle development of buffelgrass seedlings. It had no effect on coleoptile elongation, while the other four compounds caused significantly increased coleoptile development relative to the control.

Plants belonging to the Amaryllidaceae family are well known for their ornamental and medicinal use. Plant members of this group are distributed through both tropical and subtropical regions of the world and are dominant in Andean South America, the Mediterranean basin, and southern Africa. Amaryllidaceae plants have been demonstrated to be a good source of alkaloids with a large spectrum of biological activities, the latter being strictly related to the absolute stereochemistry of the alkaloid scaffold. Among them, great importance for practical applications in medicine has galanthamine, which has already spawned an Alzheimer's prescription drug as a potent and selective inhibitor of the enzyme acetylcholinesterase. Furthermore, lycorine as well as its related isocarbostyryl analogs narciclasine and pancratistatine have shown a strong anticancer activity in vitro against different solid tumors with malignant prognosis. This review addresses the assignment of the absolute configuration of several Amaryllidaceae alkaloids and its relationship with their biological activities.

Electronic circular dichroism (ECD) and discrete wavelength resolved specific optical rotations, referred to as optical rotatory dispersion (ORD), have been remeasured for inuloxin C and analysed with corresponding quantum chemical (QC) predicted data for all diastereomers of inuloxin C. The QC‐predicted sign of ORD and of a major ECD band are found to match the experimental observations for more than one diastereomer. However, these ECD and ORD analyses combined with electronic dissymmetry factor analyses narrowed the choices of absolute configuration (AC) of inuloxin C to (5R,7S,8R,10R) and (5S,7S,8S,10S). Supplementing these analyses with corresponding analyses for acetylated inuloxin C resulted in a unique choice for the AC of inuloxin C as (5S,7S,8S,10S). This result is independent of NMR analysis. Furthermore, this AC is in full agreement with previously determined relative configuration by NMR and the AC derived therefrom using ECD and ORD. Therefore, the present study identifies a pathway for determining the ACs of chiral molecules with multiple stereogenic centers when relative configurations are not known, or when it is desired to deduce ACs independent of the known relative configurations.

Toxins produced by phytopathogenic fungi assume great importance because of their involvement in several plant diseases. Although such pathogens are known to have seriously damaged crops, forest, and environmental resources, they represent a very important tool to develop new environmentally friendly herbicides and fungicides. This review deals with the relationships between the biological activity of some phytotoxins produced by pathogenic fungi for major forest plants and for damaging weeds and their stereochemistry. In particular, the methods used to determine their relative and/or absolute configuration will be illustrated. These include the application of Mosher's and Murata's methods, X-ray diffractometric analysis, circular dichroism, and the use of computational methods to determine the theoretical optical rotatory power as well as the CD spectrum. The importance of determining the absolute configuration to achieve the total synthesis of some phytotoxins, interesting for their potential practical application, is also discussed.