steviol

Steviol is a diterpene first isolated from the plant Stevia rebaudiana in 1931. Its chemical structure was not fully elucidated until 1960.

Steviol occurs in the plant as steviol glycosides, sweet compounds that have found widespread use as sugar substitutes. The aglycon is prepared by enzymatic hydrolysis, since upon acid treatment steviol will undergo Wagner-Meerwein rearrangement to the very stable isosteviol.