Page "Alkyne" Paragraph 31

According to Ferdinand Bohlmann, the first naturally occurring acetylenic compound, dehydromatricaria ester, was isolated from an Artemisia species in 1826.

In the nearly two centuries that have followed, well over a thousand naturally occurring acetylenes have been discovered and reported.

Polyynes, a subset of this class of natural products, have been isolated from a wide variety of plant species, cultures of higher fungi, bacteria, marine sponges, and corals.

Some acids like tariric acid contains an alkyne group.

Diynes and triynes, species with the linkage RC ≡ C-C ≡ CR ' and RC ≡ C-C ≡ C-C ≡ CR ' respectively, occur in certain plants ( Ichthyothere, Chrysanthemum, Cicuta, Oenanthe and other members of the Asteraceae and Apiaceae families ).

Some examples are cicutoxin, oenanthotoxin, falcarinol and carotatoxin.

These compounds are highly bioactive, e. g. as nematocides.

1-Phenylhepta-1, 3, 5-triyne is illustrative of a naturally occurring triyne.