The structure of azadirachtin; the functional groups

Abstract

Azadirachtin (C₃₅H₄₄O₁₆), isolated from the seeds of the Neem tree (Azadirachta indica) and found to be highly active in inhibiting the feeding response of the desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria), has been shown to be a highly oxygenated triterpenoid substance, with fourteen of the oxygen atoms deployed in five ester groups, three free hydroxy-groups and a dihydrofuran ring; the remaining oxygen atoms are tentatively assigned to two ether groups.