Abstract
This paper describes the combination of physical and chemical degradative methods that has led to the elucidation of the constitution of the novel 2-acylindole alkaloids, ervatamine (5), 20-epi-ervatamine (6) and 19-dehydroervatamine (7). The alkaloids show differences in the N.M.R. spectra and in the rates of methylation which indicate that ervatamine has a different conformation from the other two alkaloids; the conformations which are suggested for the alkaloids (35)-(37) have alternative chair conformations of the piperidine rings. Correlations in the mass spectra of the natural alkaloids and of several simple derivatives are discussed.

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