Several compounds [(+/-)-3a, (+/-)-3b, (+/-)-10, (+/-)-11 and (+/-)-12] with the structures related to that (3) proposed for alectrol, the germination stimulant, were synthesized. The structure (+/-)-3a was solved by X-ray crystallographic analysis. Comparison of the H-1 NMR data of the synthetic compounds with those reported for alectrol disproved the correctness of the proposed structure 3. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.