Photooxidation of cedrelone, a tetranortriterpenoid from Toona ciliata.

Cedrelone, a tetranortriterpenoid on photolysis by UV light yields a true photooxidation product 3 [14 beta,15beta,22beta,23beta-diepoxy-6-hydroxy-1,5, 20(22)-meliatriene-2,7,21-trione] whose structure is well established by NMR studies and confirmed by X-ray crystallography, along with product 4 [14 beta,15beta-epoxy-6,23-dihydroxy-1,5,20(22)-meliatriene-2,7, 21-trione]. Addition of rose bengal increases the rate of photooxidation whereas DABCO decreases rate of photolysis proving the involvement of singlet oxygen in the photooxygenation. Both the photoproducts exhibited antifeedant activity.