A new synthesis of 3-isocyanotheonellin, a marine sesquiterpene with potent antifouling activity against the larvae of the barnacle Balanus amphirite, and its analogues is described. The highlight of the synthetic strategy is the one-step construction of a tertiary isocyanide from an alcohol using trimethylsilyl cyanide and a silver salt. The antifouling activities of 3-isocyanotheonellin and its analogues are also reported.
Lingshuine (1), a novel sesquiterpene amide, along with three known N‐containing compounds, 2–4, have been isolated from the Hainan spongeAxinyssa variabilis. The structure of 1 was elucidated by detailed analysis of the spectroscopic data and by chemical methods. Lingshuine represents the first example of a Passerini product formed during the isolation process.