18-Deoxy-13beta,14-dihydrolycoctam: the lycoctamone rearrangement confirmed.

The structure of the title compound, C23H35NO4, contains a unique pentacyclic ring system wherein one cyclohexyl ring adopts a chair conformation, two cyclohexyl rings are in boat conformations, and a six-membered heterocyclic ring and a cyclopentyl ring are in envelope conformations. The structures of the lycoctamones, alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes produced by acid-catalyzed degradation of lactams of lycoctonine-type alkaloids, previously deduced from the results of extensive chemical investigations have been proven to be correct by the determination of the crystal structure of this compound.