2,3'-Dihydroxycanthaxanthin, a new carotenoid with a 2-hydroxy-4-oxo-beta-end group from the hermit crab, Paralithodes brevipes.

A new carotenoid with a 2-hydroxy-4-oxo-beta-end group was isolated from the hermit crab, Paralithodes brevipes, as a minor component. Its structure was determined to be 2,3'-dihydroxy-beta,beta-carotene-4,4'-dione (1) by spectral data and the compound was named 2,3'-dihydroxycanthaxanthin. Chiral resolution of 1 by HPLC using a chiral column provided two stereoisomers, 1a and 1b. The 3'R and 3'S chirality were determined for 1a and 1b, respectively, by CD spectra.