Benzylmercaptan (benzylthiol) and dibenzyldisulphide from the marine sponge Crella spinulata, (Hentschel) (Poecilosclerida: Crellidae)

Abstract

Benzylmercaptan (benzylthiol) and its oxidised product dibenzyldisulphide have been isolated and characterised from the marine sponge Crella spinulata (Hentschel) found in the Great Barrier Reef, northern Australia. The structures of the two compounds were determined on the basis of their spectral and chemical properties. These two compounds were found only in gravid females collected during the reproductive season. The biochemical interest of these sulphur-containing compounds in the gravid females is briefly discussed in relation to the role of sulphydryl groups in biological systems