Phenolic constituents of Semecarpus anacardium

GLC-MS analysis of methylated bhilawanol from S. anacardium nuts and its oxidation product, the methyl ester of an aromatic carboxylic acid, conclusively proved that it contains more than seven closely related compounds. Two of them are major components which were isolated and shown to be 1-pentadec-Δ^5′-enyl-2,3-dimethoxybenzene (I) and 1-pent biflavanoids A, B and C have been also isolated from defatted nuts of S. anacardium. The first of these has been characterized as its methyl ethers. A₁ and A₂, for which biflavanone structures (VI) and (VII) are suggested on the basis of chemical and spectral evidence. The biflavanones B and C have been also characterized as their methyl ethers. Suggested structures are O-methyl derivatives of a IB-3′, IIA-8-binaringenin (XIV) for the former and IB-3′, IIA-8-biliquiritigenin (XV) for the latter.