A new biosynthetic pathway to the sorbicillinoid natural products is proposed based on the observation of oxidative dearomatisation of dihydrosorbicillin
Trichoderma longibrachiatum Rifai aggr. is a fungus reported to be antagonistic to the fungus Mycena citricolor, the causative agent of the American leaf spot disease of coffee. We have investigated the metabolites produced when T. longibrachiatum is grown in liquid culture and have isolated several new compounds. The structures of trichodermolide (2) and sorbiquinol (3) were determined by a combination of spectroscopic techniques, including 1H and 13C NMR, IR, UV, CD, ORD, and mass spectrometry, and by preparation of derivatives. Key words: Trichoderma longibrachiatum, leaf spot disease, coffee, fungal metabolites.