Natural products chemistry-the chemistry of metabolite products of plants, animals and microorganisms-is involved in the investigation of biological phenomena ranging from drug mechanisms to gametophytes and receptors and drug metabolism in the human body to protein and enzyme chemistry. Introduction to Natural Products Chemistry has collected the

Natural products chemistry—the chemistry of metabolite products of plants, animals and microorganisms—is involved in the investigation of biological phenomena ranging from drug mechanisms to gametophytes and receptors and drug metabolism in the human body to protein and enzyme chemistry. Introduction to Natural Products Chemistry has collected the most important research results of natural product chemistry in China. It overviews the basic principles of isolation, structure, and characteristics of natural products and illustrates current research techniques of structure elucidation with real-life examples of wet chemistry and spectroscopic analyses (UV, IR, MS, and NMR, especially 2d-NMR, HMBC, and HMQC), bioactivity, biosynthesis, and chemical synthesis. Specifically, this book covers: Extraction and isolation of natural products Chemistry of fungal products Alkaloids, sesquiterpenoids, diterpenes, and saponins Amino acids and peptides Flavonoids, anthraquinones, coumarins, and lignans Marine natural products Structural modification of active principles from traditional Chinese medicine Chemical synthesis of natural products Although natural products chemistry has produced enormous results and made great contributions to human health, industry, and agriculture, only a fraction of natural resources have been rigorously studied. Chinese natural products are a gold mine for further exploration with modern technology and methods. This book represents the continuing collaboration between the fields of natural products chemistry, medicine, biology, and agriculture which will continue to discover and implement novel chemical products from natural sources.

During the last few decades, research into natural products has advanced tremendously thanks to contributions from the fields of chemistry, life sciences, food science and material sciences. Comparisons of natural products from microorganisms, lower eukaryotes, animals, higher plants and marine organisms are now well documented. This book provides an easy-to-read overview of natural products. It includes twelve chapters covering most of the aspects of natural products chemistry. Each chapter covers general introduction, nomenclature, occurrence, isolation, detection, structure elucidation both by degradation and spectroscopic techniques, biosynthesis, synthesis, biological activity and commercial applications, if any, of the compounds mentioned in each topic. Therefore it will be useful for students, other researchers and industry. The introduction to each chapter is brief and attempts only to supply general knowledge in the particular field. Furthermore, at the end of each chapter there is a list of recommended books for additional study and a list of relevant questions for practice.

Notoriously cumbersome to isolate and challenging to synthesize, the path of natural products to viable drugs is an arduous journey. Yet compounds isolated from nature may possess fascinating structures, biological profiles and pharmaceutical potential far greater than anything made by man. Natural Products Chemistry: Sources, Separations and Structures presents a practical guide to sourcing, isolating, and discovering new compounds from nature many of which become pharmaceutical drugs. This book emphasizes the challenges and advantages of products acquired from nature, compared to those obtained from combinatorial chemistry. A basic introduction, the book describes the whole cycle from farm to final compound, backed up by case studies drawn from industry and research applications. It broadens the scope of applications and draws upon examples from various sources. Natural products chemistry, as taught today, draws its examples mainly from marine chemistry or plant chemistry; however, there is also a fascinating and rich world of fermented (microbial and algal) products leading to complex structures. Thus, the book draws upon examples from the microbial world and from insects too. Therefore, this is a source of bioactive metabolites, not traditionally available in academic settings, more the mainstay of the pharmaceutical industry. Providing a roadmap of the process of collecting a compound from nature, isolating the active ingredient, and determining the chemical structure, this book provides a unique approach to the world of natural products.

Natural products have been a fertile area of chemical investigation for many years, driving the development of both analytical chemistry and of new synthetic reactions and methodologies. Many of the most important synthetic reactions in chemistry have been developed in the quest to characterise and synthesise these materials. Natural Product Chemistry at a Glance provides a concise overview of the main principles and reactions of natural product chemistry, for students studying chemistry and related courses at undergraduate level. Based on the highly successful and student friendly "at a glance" approach, the material developed in this book has been chosen to reinforce the principles of elementary organic reactions and to highlight the similarity between many organic reactions and biological processes. It will also serve as an initial platform for more advanced excursions into the origin of natural products. Students using Natural Product Chemistry at a Glance will find they have a resource with which they can quickly, economically and confidently acquire, regularly review and revise the basic facts that underpin the biosynthesis and chemistry of natural products.

A New York Times Notable Book for 2011 A Globe and Mail Best Books of the Year 2011 Title A Kirkus Reviews Best Nonfiction of 2011 title Virtually all human societies were once organized tribally, yet over time most developed new political institutions which included a central state that could keep the peace and uniform laws that applied to all citizens. Some went on to create governments that were accountable to their constituents. We take these institutions for granted, but they are absent or are unable to perform in many of today’s developing countries—with often disastrous consequences for the rest of the world. Francis Fukuyama, author of the bestselling The End of History and the Last Man and one of our most important political thinkers, provides a sweeping account of how today’s basic political institutions developed. The first of a major two-volume work, The Origins of Political Order begins with politics among our primate ancestors and follows the story through the emergence of tribal societies, the growth of the first modern state in China, the beginning of the rule of law in India and the Middle East, and the development of political accountability in Europe up until the eve of the French Revolution. Drawing on a vast body of knowledge—history, evolutionary biology, archaeology, and economics—Fukuyama has produced a brilliant, provocative work that offers fresh insights on the origins of democratic societies and raises essential questions about the nature of politics and its discontents.

'Total Synthesis of Natural Products' is written and edited by some of today's leaders in organic chemistry. Eleven chapters cover a range of natural products, from steroids to alkaloids. Each chapter contains an introduction to the natural product in question, descriptions of its biological and pharmacological properties and outlines of total synthesis procedures already carried out. Particular emphasis is placed on novel methodologies developed by the respective authors and their research groups. This text is ideal for graduate and advanced undergraduate students, as well as organic chemists in academia and industry.