Lesser alkaloids of cocaine-bearing plants II. 3-Oxo-substituted tropane esters: detection and mass spectral characterization of minor alkaloids found in South American Erythroxylum coca var. coca

Abstract

Alkaloid extracts from the leaves of Erythroxylum coca var. coca, grown in South America, were subjected to ion-pair chromatography and then to gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric analyses. Eight previously unreported trace level alkaloids were detected and characterized via.comparison to synthesized standards, including 3-alpha-benzoyloxytropane, 3a-phenylacetoxytropane, 3-beta-cis- and 3-beta-trans-cinnamoyloxytropane, 3-beta-2'-hydroxybenzoyloxytropane, 3-alpha-3',4',5'-trimethoxybenzoyloxytropane, 3-alpha- and 3-beta-3',4',5'-trimethoxy-trans-cinnamoyloxytropane. Two additional alkaloids, 3-alpha- and 3-beta-3',4',5'-trimethoxy-cis-cinnamoyloxytropane, were also tentatively identified.