PIPLAROXIDE, AN ANT-REPELLENT PIPERIDINE EPOXIDE FROM PIPER-TUBERCULATUM

Investigation of leaves from the shrub Piper tuberculatum for compound s that might serve as repellents to leafcutting ants has led to identi fication of three cinnamic acid derivatives. One has been characterize d as a new piperidine epoxide, piplaroxide (1), while the other two we re recognized as the known compounds piplartine (2) and demethoxypipla rtine (3). Both piplaroxide and demethoxypiplartine demonstrated signi ficant activity in a laboratory bioassay measuring repellency to the l eafcutter ant Atta cephalotes.