Configurational study of an aporphine alkaloid from annona purpurea

Purpureine (1), norpurpureine (2), and 3-hydroxyglaucine (4) were isolated from the leaves of Annona purpurea. A vibrational circular dichroism study for the absolute configuration determination of 1 provides evidence for the mutually dependent atropisomerism, local chirality of the sole stereogenic center, and the geometry of the tetrahedral nitrogen atom in aporphine alkaloids. The observed change in the optical rotation sign between 2 and its hydrochloride 3 might explain why this compound has been reported as dextrorotatory and levorotatory from the same botanical source. Furthermore, ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectra of 1, 2 and 4 were fully assigned for the first time.