alkaloid, any of a class of organic compounds composed of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and usually oxygen that are often derived from plants. Although the name means alkalilike, some alkaloids do not exhibit alkaline properties. Many alkaloids, though poisons, have physiological effects that render them valuable as medicines. For example, curarine, found in the deadly extract curare curare (ky
..... Click the link for more information. , is a powerful muscle relaxant; atropine atropine (ăt`rəpēn, –pĭn)
..... Click the link for more information. is used to dilate the pupils of the eyes; and physostigmine is a specific for certain muscular diseases. Narcotic alkaloids used in medicine include morphine morphine, principal derivative of opium , which is the juice in the unripe seed pods of the opium poppy , Papaver somniferum. It was first isolated from opium in 1803 by the German pharmacist F. W. A.
..... Click the link for more information. and codeine codeine (kō`dēn), alkaloid found in opium . It is a narcotic whose effects, though less potent, resemble those of morphine .
..... Click the link for more information. for the relief of pain and cocaine cocaine (kōkān`, kō`kān), alkaloid drug derived from the leaves of the coca shrub.
..... Click the link for more information. as a local anesthetic. Other common alkaloids include quinine quinine (kwī`nīn', kwĭnēn`), white crystalline alkaloid with a bitter taste.
..... Click the link for more information. , caffeine caffeine (kăfēn`), odorless, slightly bitter alkaloid found in coffee , tea , kola nuts (see cola ), ilex plants (the source of the
..... Click the link for more information. , nicotine nicotine, C₁₀H₁₄N₂, poisonous, pale yellow, oily liquid alkaloid with a pungent odor and an acrid taste. It turns brown on exposure to air.
..... Click the link for more information. , strychnine strychnine (strĭk`nĭn), bitter alkaloid drug derived from the seeds of a tree, Strychnos nux-vomica,
..... Click the link for more information. , serotonin serotonin (sĕr'ətō`nĭn), organic compound that was first recognized as a powerful vasoconstrictor occurring in blood serum.
..... Click the link for more information. , and LSD LSD or lysergic acid diethylamide
..... Click the link for more information. . Aconitine is the alkaloid of aconite aconite (ăk`ənīt), monkshood, or wolfsbane, any of several species of the genus
..... Click the link for more information. . Cinchonine and quinine are derived from cinchona cinchona (sĭngkō`nə) or chinchona
..... Click the link for more information. , coniine is found in poison hemlock hemlock, any tree of the genus Tsuga, coniferous evergreens of the family Pinaceae ( pine family) native to North America and Asia. The common hemlock of E North America is T.
..... Click the link for more information. , and reserpine is an extract of rauwolfia roots. Emetine is an alkaloid of ipecac ipecac (ĭp`ĭkăk), drug obtained from the dried roots of a creeping shrub, Cephaelis (or Psychotria)
..... Click the link for more information. .

alkaloid

Basic (see base) organic compounds of plant origin, containing combined nitrogen. Alkaloids are amines, so their names usually end in “ine” (e.g., caffeine, nicotine, morphine, quinine). Most have complex chemical structures of multiple ring systems. They have diverse, important physiological effects on humans and other animals, but their functions in the plants that produce them are poorly understood. Some plants (e.g., opium poppy, ergot fungus) produce many different alkaloids, but most produce only one or a few. Certain plant families, including the poppy family (Papaveraceae) and the nightshade family (Solanaceae), are particularly rich in them. Alkaloids are extracted by dissolving the plant in dilute acid.

alkaloid (redirected from Alkaloids)

alkaloid

alkaloid
(redirected from Alkaloids)