ABSTRACT
Galanthamine hydrobromide was produced commercially as ‘Nivalin’ in Bulgaria from Galanthus nivalis L. and later from Leucojum aestivum cultivars, and in the former USSR from leaves of Ungernia victoris L. collected in the mid-Asia regions. The limited plant sources available in the Russian flora for commercial exploitation, the low concentration of the alkaloid in plant material and the labourconsuming character of the chemical processes, led to a need for alternative routes of galanthamine production. At present, synthetic methods seem to have assumed practical significance.
