Isolation, structure determination, and biological activity of a novel alkaloid, perophoramidine, from the Philippine ascidian Perophora namei.

Chemical investigation of the Philippine ascidian Perophora namei has resulted in the isolation of a novel polycyclic alkaloid, perophoramidine (1). The structure of 1 was determined by the interpretation of 1D/2D NMR and MS data. Dehalogenation of perophoramidine (1) by ammonium formate catalyzed transfer hydrogenation confirmed the type and number of halogen atoms present in 1.