Chlorophyll-photosensitised photodegradation of caulerpenyne; a potentially harmful sesquiterpenoid from tropical green seaweeds in the genus Caulerpa

On exposure to daylight, caulerpenyne 1 in solution in the presence of oxygen and chlorophylls or pheophytins undergoes rapid, multifarious degradation involving a peculiar route through ynone 2, thus providing a model for detoxification from these and similar food web and seagrass potentially harmful terpenoids of caulerpalean green seaweeds in Mediterranean areas invaded by the tropical Caulerpa taxifolia.