Objectives Quillaic acid is the major aglycone of the widely studied saponins of the Chilean indigenous tree Quillaja saponaria Mol. The industrial availability of quillaja saponins and the extensive functionalisation of this triterpenoid provide unique opportunities for structural modification and pose a challenge from the standpoint of selectivity in regard to one or the other secondary alcohol group, the aldehyde, and the carboxylic acid functions. The anti- ...
