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 ((CH3)2AsOOH). The structures of these compounds were ascertained by 1H NMR spectroscopy. Compounds 1a and 1b accounted for 60 % and dimethylarsinic acid for 5% of the water-soluble arsenic.