Abstract
A new conjugate of hydroxyabscisic acid, tentatively named MeHMG-HOABA, along with a known conjugate, β-hydroxy-/?-methylglutarylhydroxyabscisic acid (HMG-HOABA), were iso-lated from immature seeds of Robinia pseudacacia and determined. Evidence for the occurrence of MeHMG-HOABA as a natural metabolite, and not as an artifact, was provided by desorption chemical ionization (DCI) and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) in conjunction with the technique of linked scanning at constant B/E. The mass spectrometric technique allows the detection and characterization of the conjugates to be analysed even in a crude plant extract.