1-HYDROXYTROPACOCAINE - AN ABUNDANT ALKALOID OF ERYTHROXYLUM NOVOGRANATENSE VAR NOVOGRANATENSE AND VAR TRUXILLENSE

A new alkaloid, 1-hydroxytropacocaine, was isolated from leaves of gre enhouse-cultivated Erythroxylum novogranatense var. novogranatense and identified. Quantitative levels of this alkaloid in dry leaf were sim ilar to those for cocaine, i.e. 0.3-0.5% w/w. 1-Hydroxytropacocaine wa s also detected at 0.04-0.07% w/w (relative to dry coca leaf) in green house-cultivated Erythroxylum novogranatense var. truxillense and at s imilar levels in Erythroxylum novogranatense var. novogranatense, grow n at a tropical site other than in South America. The presence of 1-hy droxytropacocaine was <0.01% w/w (relative to dry coca leaf) in suspec ted Erythroxylum novogranatense var. novogranatense and Erythroxylum c oca var. coca, field-cultivated in Colombia and Bolivia, respectively.