On the structure of oxyblepharismin and its formation from blepharismin

The blepharismins (1) from Blepharisma japonicum give the corresponding oxyblepharismins (2) on irradiation in vitro and in vivo. The chemical structures of these compounds are elucidated and a mechanism is given for this unusual transformation. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.