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    Alkaloid & Its General Properties

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    shankul kumar
    Alkaloids are basic nitrogenous compounds found in plants that are physiologically active. While they are typically defined as being basic, containing nitrogen in a heterocyclic ring, and being of plant origin, some exceptions exist. For example, some alkaloids are not basic, contain nitrogen outside of a ring, or come from non-plant sources like bacteria or animals. Alkaloids are found throughout the plant kingdom but certain families like Apocynaceae, Rubiaceae, and Solanaceae are particularly alkaloid-rich. Within plants, alkaloids can be present in various tissues like bark, roots, leaves, fruits, and latex.

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    Alkaloid & Its General Properties

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    shankul kumar
    10K views4 pages
    Alkaloids are basic nitrogenous compounds found in plants that are physiologically active. While they are typically defined as being basic, containing nitrogen in a heterocyclic ring, and being of plant origin, some exceptions exist. For example, some alkaloids are not basic, contain nitrogen outside of a ring, or come from non-plant sources like bacteria or animals. Alkaloids are found throughout the plant kingdom but certain families like Apocynaceae, Rubiaceae, and Solanaceae are particularly alkaloid-rich. Within plants, alkaloids can be present in various tissues like bark, roots, leaves, fruits, and latex.

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    Alkaloid & Its general Properties

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    Alkaloids are basic nitrogenous compounds found in plants that are physiologically active. While they are typically defined as being basic, containing nitrogen in a heterocyclic ring, and being of plant origin, some exceptions exist. For example, some alkaloids are not basic, contain nitrogen outside of a ring, or come from non-plant sources like bacteria or animals. Alkaloids are found throughout the plant kingdom but certain families like Apocynaceae, Rubiaceae, and Solanaceae are particularly alkaloid-rich. Within plants, alkaloids can be present in various tissues like bark, roots, leaves, fruits, and latex.

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    10K views4 pages

    Alkaloid & Its General Properties

    Uploaded by

    shankul kumar
    Alkaloids are basic nitrogenous compounds found in plants that are physiologically active. While they are typically defined as being basic, containing nitrogen in a heterocyclic ring, and being of plant origin, some exceptions exist. For example, some alkaloids are not basic, contain nitrogen outside of a ring, or come from non-plant sources like bacteria or animals. Alkaloids are found throughout the plant kingdom but certain families like Apocynaceae, Rubiaceae, and Solanaceae are particularly alkaloid-rich. Within plants, alkaloids can be present in various tissues like bark, roots, leaves, fruits, and latex.

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    Alkaloids are basic nitrogenous plant compounds that contain heterocyclic rings and have physiological effects.

    Alkaloids can exist as free bases, salts with organic or inorganic acids, glycosides, or other forms.

    Alkaloids are classified as weak bases, strong bases, amphoteric, or neutral based on their basicity.

    Alkaloid:

    Definition: the term “alkaloid” (alkali-like) is commonly used to


    designate basic heterocyclic nitrogenous compounds of plant
    origin that are physiologically active.

    Deviation from Definition:

     Basicity: Some alkaloids are not basic. e.g.


    Colchicine,Piperine, Quaternary alkaloids.
     Nitrogen: The nitrogen in some alkaloids is not in a
    heterocyclic ring e.g. Ephedrine, Colchicine, and Mescaline.
     Plant Origine: Some alkaloids are derived from Bacteria,
    Fungi, Insects, Frogs, and Animals.

    Or,
    According to Landenberg "Alkaloids are defined as natural plant
    compounds that have a basic character and contain at least one nitrogen
    atom in a heterocyclic ring and having biological activities."

    Or,
    According to characteristic features “Alkaloids are basic nitrogenous
    plant origin, mostly optically active & possessing nitrogen hetero cycles as
    there structural units with physiological action.”

    Distribution and occurrence:

     Rare in lower plants.


     Dicots are richer in alkaloids than Monocots.
     Families rich in Alkaloids: Apocynaceae, Rubiaceae, Solanaceae and
    Papaveracea.
     Families free from Alkaloids: Rosaceae, Labiatae

    Distribution in Plant:

    • All Parts e.g. Datura.


    • Barks e.g. Cinchona
    • Seeds e.g. Nux vomica
    • Roots e.g. Aconite
    • Fruits e.g. Black pepper
    • Leaves e.g. Tobacco
    • Latex e.g. Opium

    Forms of Alkaloids:

     Free bases
     Salts with Organic acids e.g. Oxalic, acetic acids
     Salts with inorganic acids e.g. HCl, H2SO4.
     Salts with special acids: e.g. Meconic acid in Opium,
    Quinic acid in Cinchona.
     Glycosidal form e.g. Solanine in Solanum.

    Function in Plants:

     They may act as protective against insects and herbivores due to their
    bitterness and toxicity.
     They are, in certain cases, the final products of detoxification (waste
    products).
     Source of nitrogen in case of nitrogen deficiency.
     They, sometimes, act as growth regulators in certain metabolic
    systems.
     They may be utilized as a source of energy in case of deficiency in
    carbon dioxide assimilation.

    Properties of Alkaloids
    Physical Properties:
     Physical form or Nature:
    • Most alkaloids are crystalline solids.
    • Few alkaloids are amorphous solids e.g. emetine.
    • Some are liquids that are either:
     Volatile e.g. nicotine and coniine, or
     Non-volatile e.g. pilocarpine and hyoscine.
     Color:
    • The majority of alkaloids are colorless but some are colored
    e.g.:Colchicine and berberine are yellow.
    • Canadine is orange.
    • The salts of sanguinarine are copper-red.
    Solubility:

    • Both alkaloidal bases and their salts are soluble in alcohol.


    • Generally, the bases are soluble in organic solvents and insoluble in
    water
     Exceptions:
    • Bases soluble in water: caffeine, ephedrine, codeine,
    colchicines, pilocarpine and quaternary ammonium
    bases.
    • Bases insoluble or sparingly soluble in certain organic
    solvents: morphine in ether, theobromine and
    theophylline in benzene.

    Isomerization:
    • Optically active isomers may show different physiological activities.
     L-ephedrine is 3.5 times more active than d-ephedrine.
     L-ergotamine is 3-4 times more active than d-ergotamine.
     D- Tubocurarine is more active than the corresponding L- form.
     Quinine (l-form) is antimalarial and its d- isomer quinidine is
    antiarrythmic.
     The racemic (optically inactive) dl-atropine is physiologically
    active.

    Chemical Properties: Alkaloid is basic in nature because of lone pair of


    electron on nitrogen atom.

     Nitrogen:
    • Primary amines R-NH2 e.g. Nor ephedrine
    • Secondary amines R2-NH e.g. Ephedrine
    • Tertiary amines R3-N e.g. Atropine
    • Quaternary ammonium salts R4-N e.g. d-Tubocurarine

     Basicity:
    • R2-NH > R-NH2 > R3-N
    • Saturated hexacyclic amines are more basic than aromatic
    amines.
    According to Basicity Alkaloids are classified into:
    • Weak bases e.g. Caffeine
    • Strong bases e.g. Atropine
    • Amphoteric e.g. Morphine
    • Neutral alkaloids e.g. Colchicines
     Oxygen:
    • Most alkaloids contain Oxygen and are solid in nature e.g.
    Atropine.
    • Some alkaloids are free from Oxygen and are mostly liquids
    e.g. Nicotine, Coniine.
     Stability:
    • Effect of heat: Alkaloids are decomposed by heat, except
    Strychnine and caffeine (sublimable).
    • Reaction with acids:
     Salt formation.
     2- Dilute acids hydrolyze Ester Alkaloids e.g. Atropine
    • Conc. acids may cause:
    Dehydration:
    Atropine → Apoatropine
    Morphine → Apomorphine
    • Effect of Alkalies:
     Dilute alkalis liberate most alkaloids from their salts e.g.
    NH3.
     They may cause Isomerization (racemization) of
    alkaloid as the conversion of Hyoscyamine to atropine.
     Strong alkalis: such as aqueous NaOH and KOH form
    salts with phenolic alkaloids.
     Strong alkalis cause hydrolysis of Ester alkaloids
    (e.g. atropine, cocaine and physostigmine) and Amide
    alkaloids (colchicines).
     Strong alkalis cause opening of lactones ring.

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