Strepsilin is a chemical found in

lichens A lichen ( , ) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among hypha, filaments of multiple fungus, fungi species in a mutualism (biology), mutualistic relationship.C test A spot test in lichenology is a spot analysis used to help identify lichens. It is performed by placing a drop of a chemical on different parts of the lichen and noting the colour change (or lack thereof) associated with application of the chemical ...

. It is a

dibenzofuran Dibenzofuran is a heterocyclic organic compound with the chemical structure shown at right. It is an aromatic compound that has two benzene rings fused to a central furan ring. All the numbered carbon atoms have a hydrogen atom bonded to each of th ...

dimer, with hydroxy,

oxy Oxy may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Oxy, a fictional character from the Molecularium Project * Oxy, abbreviation for the Oxyrhynchus Papyri Brands and enterprises * Oxy, a line of skin care products from Mentholatum * OXY, Ticker ...

and

methyl In organic chemistry, a methyl group is an alkyl derived from methane, containing one carbon atom bonded to three hydrogen atoms, having chemical formula . In formulas, the group is often abbreviated as Me. This hydrocarbon group occurs in many ...

side groups. It is named after ''

Cladonia strepsilis ''Cladonia strepsilis'' or the olive cup lichen is a species of cup lichen in the family Cladoniaceae. In Iceland, where it is only found in a few locations in the Eastern Region, it is red listed as endangered An endangered species is a ...

''. Strepsilin was discovered by Wilhelm Zopf in 1903. The structure of strepsilin was determined by Shoji Shibata.

Properties

Strepsilin is degraded in alkali to 1-methyl-3,7-dihydroxydibenzofuran. Strepsilin melts at 324 °C.

Occurrence

Strepsilin is found in some ''

Cladonia ''Cladonia'' is a genus of moss-like lichens in the family Cladoniaceae. They are the primary food source for reindeer/caribou. ''Cladonia'' species are of economic importance to reindeer-herders, such as the Sami in Scandinavia or the Nenets ...

'' species. It is also found in ''

Siphula ''Siphula'' is a genus of lichenized fungi in the Icmadophilaceae family. The widespread genus contains about 33 species. ''Siphula'' was circumscribed by Swedish mycologist Elias Fries Elias Magnus Fries (15 August 1794 – 8 February ...

'' and ''

Stereocaulon azoreum ''Stereocaulon'' is a genus of lichens. Members of ''Stereocaulon'' are commonly called snow lichens. Species *''Stereocaulon alpinum'' *'' Stereocaulon apocalypticum'' *'' Stereocaulon arcticum'' *'' Stereocaulon arenarium'' *'' Stereocaul ...

''.

References

{{Reflist Dibenzofurans Furanones Isobenzofurans Phenols Lichen products Heterocyclic compounds with 4 rings