NITROALIPHATIC COMPOUNDS IN HIPPOCREPIS-COMOSA AND OTHER LEGUMES IN THE EUROPEAN FLORA

In a survey of 148, mostly European, angiosperm species, 3-nitropropio nate was found only in extracts of the legumes, Hippocrepis balearica, H. comosa, Lotus uliginosus and Scorpiurus muricatus. Three separate nitro-propanoyl esters of glucose, 6-(3-nitropropanoyl)-alpha beta-D-g lucopyranose, 1,6-di-O-(3-nitropropanoyl-beta-D-glucopyranose (cibaria n) and ,2,6-tri-0-(3-nitropropanoyl)-beta-D-glucopyranose (karakin) we re identified in shoot extracts of H. comosa. Evidence for the presenc e of the 3-nitropropanoyl ester of 4-hydroxybutanoic acid in extracts of H. comosa is also presented.