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Overview
The plant world offers a fascinating way to explore basic chemistry concepts. The spectacular variety of colors, fragrances and other characteristics of plants are driven by the seemingly subtle differences in the structure and properties of organic compounds. Well-known flowers, like daffodils and narcissus, are examples of plants that provide ample perfumes, pigments and poisons as part of their intricate and fascinating chemistry.
This second edition retains it accessibility, expanding on the first edition and combining scientific concepts with colorful pictures and stories in simple, clear language. Readers will find introductory information on some chemistry and plant biology. This prepares them for the more complex chemical structures that compose plant substances, many of them of vital importance to humans. The final chapter has been expanded, in particular the sections on medicinal plants and on genetic modification. The end-of chapter references have been thoroughly updated with articles, books, and relevant websites that illustrate the topics discussed.
Dr Margareta Sequin, an organic chemist and plant enthusiast, has taught popular undergraduate college level courses on plant chemistry to non-chemistry majors and has led numerous field seminars for the general public. The comments and questions from these audiences and the topics that especially captured people’s interest have greatly shaped this book.
The Chemistry of Plants addresses an audience with little previous chemistry knowledge, but will appeal to the expert reader looking for an understanding of more complex plant compounds. It can be used both as a text to introduce organic chemistry as it relates to plants and as a text of reference for more advanced readers.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781788019019 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | RSC |
| Publication date: | 02/05/2021 |
| Edition description: | 2nd ed. |
| Pages: | 206 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.98(w) x 8.98(h) x (d) |
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 Basic Plant Chemistry Concepts 1
1.1 Introduction 1
1.2 Plants and Their Elements 3
1.2.1 Elements and Atoms 10
1.2.2 Chemical Bonding to Form Molecules 15
1.3 Life-giving Water 17
1.4 Nutrients from the Soil 24
1.5 Plants and Chemical Reactions 28
1.6 Photosynthesis, the Key to Life 30
1.6.1 Light Reactions and Calvin Cycle 31
1.6.2 Special Mechanisms in Plants from Hot Climates 33
1.6.3 Chlorophyll a, the Main Photosynthetic Pigment 34
1.7 Respiration to Provide Energy 38
1.8 Organic Molecules, an Introduction 41
1.9 Conclusion 46
Bibliography and Further Reading 47
References 48
Chapter 2 The Molecular Building Blocks 50
2.1 Introduction 50
2.2 Carbohydrates for Energy and Structure 51
2.3 Structures That Keep Plants Upright 58
2.4 Fats and Oils for Energy and Protection 62
2.5 Proteins with Many Functions 68
2.5.1 Amino Acids, the Building Blocks of Proteins 68
2.5.2 Peptides and Proteins 71
2.6 Nucleic Acids and Genetic Information 73
2.7 Reaction Pathways that Link Plant Molecules 77
2.8 Conclusion 79
References 80
Chapter 3 Perfumes, Volatile Plant Scents 82
3.1 Introduction 82
3.2 Fragrant Terpenes 84
3.3 Sweet Vanilla and Other Aromatics 88
3.4 Pleasant-smelling Esters 89
3.5 Malodorous Amines and Sulfurous Compounds 89
3.6 Analyzing Plant Odors 92
3.7 Conclusion 94
References 95
Chapter 4 Colorful Plant Pigments 97
4.1 Introduction 97
4.2 The Chlorophylls 99
4.3 Yellow, Orange, and Red Carotenoids 101
4.4 White and Pale-yellow Flavones 104
4.5 Purple, Pink, and Blue Anthocyanins 106
4.6 Purple Betalains 109
4.7 Brown Tannins 112
4.8 Conclusion 116
References 116
Chapter 5 Poisons and Other Plant Defenses 118
5.1 Introduction 118
5.2 Strong Scents in Leaves 121
5.3 Sticky Resins 123
5.4 Defensive Sulfurous Smells and Tastes 126
5.5 Sour Acids 128
5.6 Bitter Tastes 131
5.7 Milky Saps 133
5.8 Irritants 135
5.9 Growth-repressing Allelopaths 137
5.10 Harmful Cyanides 138
5.11 Soapy Saponins 140
5.12 Defensive Cardiac Glycosides 142
5.13 Potent Alkaloids 145
5.14 Conclusion 147
References 149
Chapter 6 Plants and People 151
6.1 Introduction 151
6.2 Foods from Plants 152
6.2.1 Essential Primary Metabolites 152
6.2.2 Vitamins 155
6.2.3 Herbs and Spices 158
6.2.4 Processing Plant Foods 161
6.3 Plant Medicines 162
6.3.1 History and Introduction 162
6.3.2 Classic Medicines from Plants 164
6.3.3 Newer Discoveries 168
6.4 Psychoactive Plants 171
6.5 Fibers and Dyes from Plants 176
6.5.1 Plant Fibers 176
6.5.2 Plant Dyes, an Introduction 179
6.5.3 Classic Plant Dyes 181
6.5.4 Plant Dyes and Contemporary Colorants 184
6.6 Perfumes for People 185
6.6.1 Introduction and History 185
6.6.2 Classic and Modern Perfume Ingredients 187
6.7 Genetically Modified Plants 189
6.7.1 Introduction 189
6.7.2 Producing Genetically Modified Plants 192
6.7.3 Impacts of Genetically Modified Plants 194
6.8 Conclusion 195
References 196
Epilogue 200
Subject Index 201