Abstract
New phloroglucinol derivatives were isolated from the ethanolic extract of Ecklonia maxima, a brown alga found off the west coast of South Africa. Most of these compounds contain
dibenzo[1,4]dioxin elements. The common basic unit of all the compounds found is eckol,
a hexahydroxyphenoxydibenzo[1,4]dioxin composed of 3 phloroglucinol units. Phloroeckol
A and B represent four-ringed phloroglucinol derivatives, whereas the only five-ringed
substance (furodehydroeckol) displays a furan structure in addition. Six-ringed phloroglucinol
derivatives composed of two eckol units joined either symmetrically (such as 7,7′-bieckol,
9,9′-bieckol) or asymmetrically (7,9′-bieckol, dieckol) are found frequently. Apart
from these, tetraphlorethol C, a four-ringed tetraphloroglucinol triether which lacks
both dioxin and furan structures, also occurs.
1 For Part XXXIV see: Glombitza, K.-W. and Klapperich K., (1985) Botanica Mar., 38,
139-44
