issue contents
February 2012 issue

Cover illustration: The diterpene, (3R,4S,5S,8S,10R,13R)-3-hydroxykaura-9(11),16-dien-18-oic acid, was isolated from Centipeda cunninghamii, a herb native to Australia and New Zealand. It has been used for many years to treat infection and inflammation. The carbon skeleton is composed of three six-membered rings with chair, twist-boat and half-chair conformations, and one five-membered ring with an envelope conformation. In the crystal, molecules are linked by O-HO hydrogen bonds leading to the formation of chains propagating in [010]. See Beattie, Bhadbhade, Craig & Leach [Acta Cryst. (2012). E68, o526-o527].