Arsenic‐containing ribofuranosides and dimethylarsinic acid in green seaweed, Codium fragile

Three water‐soluble arsenic compounds were isolated from the green seaweed Codium fragile . These compounds were identified as 1‐glycerophosphoryl‐2‐hydroxy‐3‐[5′‐deoxy‐5′‐(dimethylarsinoyl)‐β‐ribofuranosyloxy]propane (1a), 1′ ‐(1,2‐dihydroxypropyl)‐5′ ‐deoxy‐5′ ‐(dimethylarsinoyl)‐β‐ribofuranoside (1b), and dimethylarsinic acid ((CH 3 ) 2 AsOOH). The structures of these compounds were ascertained by 1 H NMR spectroscopy. Compounds 1a and 1b accounted for 60 % and dimethylarsinic acid for 5% of the water‐soluble arsenic.