2 NOVEL LACTAMS FROM THE MARINE SPONGE HALICHONDRIA-MELANODOCIA

Although one of the earliest marine natural products to be extracted and used commercially, Tyrian purple, proved to be an indole derivative, 1 few other indole-related compounds have been reported among the numerous marine metabolites described in the past two decades. 2 Quite recently, however, several indoles and indole-based compounds have been isolated from sponges3 and algae. 4 In this note we report the isolation of two novel lactams, one of them an indole derivative, from an algae-infested Carribean sponge, Halichondria melanodocia. © 1979, American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.