New sesquiterpenoids from the soft coral Sinularia intacta of the Indian Ocean

Chemical examination of the soft coral species Sinularia intacta collected from the Moyli Island of the Gulf of Mannar of the Indian Ocean resulted in the isolation of three new sesquiterpenoids, 1, 2, and 3, along with the k nown compounds 8,9-secoafricanane-8,9-dione (5), Delta(9(15))-africanene (6 ), 1-O-hexadecyl-2,3-dihexadecanoylglycerol, batyl alcohol, (24R)-24-methyl cholesterol, gorgosterol, a mixture of two monohydroxy-4 alpha-methyl stero ls, 4 alpha,24-dimethylcholestan-3 beta-ol, 4 alpha,24 xi-dimethyl-23 xi-et hylcholestan-3 beta-ol, a mixture of ceramides, and ergost-24(28)-ene-3 bet a,5 alpha,6 beta-triol. The structures of the new sesquiterpenoids were est ablished as (9R)-africanane-9,15-diol (1), (SR)-9-methoxyafricanan-15-ol (2 ), and (SS)-africanane-9,15-diol-15-monoacetate (3) by a study of their spe ctral data and partial synthesis.