Halogen chemistry of the red alga Bonnemaisonia

Complete accounts of the natural products chemistry of Bonnemaisonia nootkana, B. asparagoides, B. hamifera and Trailliella intricata are described. In contrast to the chemistry of the closely related alga Asparagopsis, Bonnemaisonia spp. do not produce halomethanes, but instead an array of C₇-C₉ halogen-containing ketones, alcohols and carboxylic acids. Biomimetic syntheses of these compounds suggest they are precursors and products of in vivo Favorsky rearrangements.