The Distribution and Possible Taxonomic Significance of Quaternary Ammonium and Other Dragendorff-Positive Compounds in Some Genera of Marine Algae

The quaternary ammonium and other Dragendorff-positive compounds found in extracts of species in some genera of the families Ulvaceae, Cladophoraceae, Bryopsidaceae, Codiaceae, Gigartinaceae and Ceramiaceae have been studied. There is a marked consistency in the compounds of this type found within any one genus, which strongly suggests the taxonomic value of these substances. The three species of Enteromorpha, three species of Codium and one species of Blidingia studied all yielded 3-dimethylsulphoniopropionate as their major Dragendorff-positive component. Blidingia minima contained, in addition, a significant quantity of glycine betaine, which was detected also in trace amount in Enteromorpha compressa. The two species each of Chaetomorpha and Bryopsis studied yielded stachydrine, and the three species of Cladophora contained glycine betaine. Of the seven species of Gigartina studied, five contained trans-4-hydroxystachydrine and stachydrine, but both of these compounds were absent from the other two. The former five species are those being proposed for removal from the genus Gigartina to the genus Mastocarpus and the chemical data support this separation. In the Ceramiaceae, 0-stachydrine was identified as the major Dragendorff-positive component from the four species of Griffithsia examined and from the one species each of Anotrichiurn and Halurus studied. Three species of Ceramium were tested and all yielded trans-4-hydroxystachydrine and several unidentified components.