18. I V . 69).S~rwmary. ( + )-cis-Khellactone methyl ether (4) and ( -)-traizs-klicllactonc methyl ethcr (6) had earlier been assigncd the absolute configurations 3'-S; 4'-S and 3'-S; 4'-H, respectively, on thc basis of the FREUDENBERG rule. Both compounds together with thcir defunctionalised derivatives (-1.7 and ( + ) -8 ( = (+)-lomatin), obtained from a mixture of (+)-visnadin (1) and (+)-san~idin( 2 ) , were investigated by the HOREAU method. A conformational analytical study showed that the optical yield should rise in the order 4 < 6 < 7, 8. This order was found and the cc-phenylhutyric acid libcrated was always dextrorotatory. The centre 3' of the khellactones and their derivatives must be R-chiral and not S. Treatment of ( -)-6 with pyridinium pcrbromide gave ( -)-trans-3bromokhellactone methyl ether (11) as orthorhombic crystals. The X-ray crystal structure dctermination was made using the anomalous scattering of thc Mo-Kcc radiation by Br. The result,ccntre 3' R-chiral (fig. g) -showed that the HOREAU mcthod was corrcct. Die natiirlich vorkommenden Visnagane stellen Diester des 3', 4'-Dihydroxy-3', 4'dihydro-seselins = Khellacton dar. Als Sauren sind Essigsaure, Isovaleriansaure, cc-Methylbuttersaure, Seneciosaure und Angelicasaure angetroffen worden. Auf Grund cheinischer und NMR.-spektroskopischer Evidenz folgt, dass alle bisher isoIierten Visnagane, mit einer Ausnahme, Derivate des (+)-cis-Khellactons (3) l) darstellen. ES sind dies: (-1-)-Dihydrosamidin [l], (+)-Visnadin (1) [l] [ 2 ] , Suksdorfin [ 3 ] , Pteryxin 131 141, 3'-Acety1-4'-senecioyl-cis-khellacton 14 a], (-t)-Samidin (2) 111 (21, Isopteryxin [4 b], Anomalin [4 b] [4 c] [S], Calipteryxin [4 b] und 3', 4'-Di-senecioyl-cis-khellacton [4 a]. Die Ausnahme reprasentiert das Peuformosin = 3'-Angeloyl-4'-senecioyl-ciskhellacton [4b] [5 a], das sich vom (-)-cis-Khellacton ableitet und den Antipoden des Calipteryxins darsteilt.