Nardosinanols A-I and lemnafricanol, sesquiterpenes from several soft corals, Lemnalia sp., Paralemnalia clavata, Lemnalia africana, and Rhytisma fulvum fulvum.

Ten new sesquiterpenes, nardosinanols A-I ( 1- 9) and lemnafricanol ( 10), have been isolated from several Kenyan soft corals, i.e., from Lemnalia sp., Paralemnalia clavata, Lemnalia africana, and Rhytisma fulvum fulvum. The structures and relative stereochemistry of these compounds were elucidated by interpretation of MS, COSY ( (1)H- (1)H correlations), HSQC, HMBC, and NOESY NMR spectroscopic experiments and in the case of 5 also by chemical transformation to compounds 11 and 12. Nine compounds ( 1- 9) are based on the nardosinane skeleton ( 1- 6 are nardosinanes and 7- 9 nornardosinanes). Lemnafricanol ( 10) possesses a novel tricyclic skeleton. Compounds 3, 7, and 10 were found to be toxic to brine shrimp with LC 50 values of 4.0, 0.35, and 0.32 microM, respectively.