USE OF A POROUS GRAPHITIC CARBON COLUMN TO SEPARATE ISOMERS OF PIPERIDINO-TYPE CHROMONE ALKALOIDS

A liquid chromatography procedure which rapidly separates the two isom ers of schumannificine and N-methylschumannificine, chromone alkaloids isoilated from Schumanniophyton magnificum (Rubiaceae), is described. The procedure uses a porous graphitic carbon high performance liquid chromatographic column and is compared with other chromatographic and chemical methods which were tried unsuccessfully. The method was adapt ed in an attempt to prepare the individual isomers of schumannificine and N-methylschumannificine in mg amounts but interconversion of the i somers in aqueous medium was shown to occur too rapidly for this to be feasible.