Application of ¹³C NMR spectroscopy and of FAB mass spectrometry in the investigation of the minor triterpenoids of Thalictrum minus

Five minor triterpenoids have been isolated from the chloroform-soluble fraction of a methanolic extract of Thalictrum minus by chromatography on silica gel: (I) — oleanolic acid; (II) — oleanolic acid 3-0-α-L-arabinopyranoside; (III) — oleanolic acid 3-0-[0-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 3)-α-L-arabinopyranoside]; (IV) — oleanolic acid 3-0-[0-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl(1 → 2)-0-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 3)-α-L-arabinopyranoside]; and (V) — oleanolic acid 28-0-β-D-glucopyranoside 3-0-[0-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1 → 3)-α-L-arabinopyranoside]. This is the first time that any of the compounds isolated have been detected in plants of the genusThalictrum. The possibility has been shown of determining the structures of triterpene glycosides on the basis of ¹³C NMR spectroscopy and FAB mass spectrometry without chemical transformations of the glycosides