STRUCTURE OF MYXOXANTHOPHYLL

The structure of myxoxanthophyll, the characteristic xanthophyll of blue-green algae, has been investigated by chemical and physical methods including NMR and mass spectra. The evidence presented suggests that chromatographically homogeneous myxoxanthophyll is a mixed (1′,2′-dihydro-3′,4′-didehydro-3,1′-dihydroxy-γ-caroten-2′-yl)-glycoside (IVc and IVd)1 1 The didehydro designation is used throughout this paper in accordance with the new IUPAC rules of carotenoid nomenclature soon to be published. in which rhamnose is the dominant sugar moiety and a hexose a minor component. © 1970.