Elucidation of the chemical structure of a novel antioxidant, rosmaridiphenol, isolated from rosemary

Abstract A novel antioxidant compound has been isolated and identified from the leaves of theRosmarinus officinalis L. The compound, named rosmaridiphenol, is a diphenolic diterpene. When tested in lard, the antioxidant activity of this compound was superior to BHA. Structural elucidation of rosmaridiphenol was accomplished by infrared spectroscopy (IR), mass spectroscopy (MS),1H‐NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) and13C‐NMR spectroscopy.