The volumes of this classic series, now referred to simply as Zechmeister after its founder, L. Zechmeister, have appeared under the Springer Imprint ever since the series' inauguration in 1938. The volumes contain contributions in various topics related to the origin, distribution, chemistry, synthesis, biochemistry, function or use of various classes of naturally occurring substances ranging from small molecules to biopolymers. Each contribution is written by a recognized authority in his field and provides a comprehensive and up-to-date review of the topic in question. Addressed to biologists, technologists, and chemists alike, the series can be used by the expert as a source of information and literature citations and by the non-expert as a means of orientation in a rapidly developing discipline.

The structure of eunicillin (89), a carbobicyclic diterpenoid isolated from the Mediterranean gorgonian Eunicella stricta, was reported in 1968 (1). At that time chlorine-containing diterpenoids had been dis covered in the gorgonian Briareum asbestinum (2, 3), but it was not until 1977 that the structure of the first briaran, briarein A (211), was resolved by X-ray analysis (4). The first trinervitane diterpenoid (26), which was isolated from Trinervitermes termites, was reported in 1976 (5). OAc OAc ACO'.... OH 0 89 211 26 The discovery of these compounds marked the appearance of a large and growing group of diterpenoids which are commonly viewed as being formed from cembrane precursors by secondary carbon-carbon bond closures. It should be emphasized, however, that in the absence of biosynthetic evidence the question of which groups of diterpenoids that should be classified as cyclized cembranoids remains ambiguous. In the present article we have included five tobacco diterpenoids (1-5) which. possess prerequisite structural features and co occur with appropriate cembrane precursors in tobacco. Although structurally reminiscent of cyclized cembranoids, verticillanes, taxanes and cleomeolide are not dealt with, since these diterpenoids of plant origin are not believed to arise via preformed cembranoids (6-11)."