Characterization of the hexahydropolyprenols of Aspergillus fumigatus Fresenius.

The isolation and properties of a group of alcohols from the mycelium of Aspergillus fumigatus Fresenius are described. Mass-, nuclear-magnetic-resonance- and infrared-spectrometric studies coupled with evidence from ozonolytic degradation and chromatography show the mixture to contain hexahydroprenols-18, -19, -20, -21, -22, -23 and -24. Each contains a saturated ;hydroxy-terminal' isoprene residue, a saturated omega-terminal isoprene residue and a saturated zeta-isoprene residue (adjacent to the omega-residue). The presence of only two trans-isoprene residues is also a feature of the series of alcohols, but the precise position of these in each molecule is not known.