Alkaloids

Basic nitrogen compounds in plants are classified as alkaloids. Several examples were given previously of this large and remarkably heterogeneous class of compounds, many of which have very complex structures . It is difficult to give a coherent account of alkaloid chemistry in the limited space available to us here.

The biosynthesis of alkaloids has been extensively studied, and although for a time it was thought that alkaloids arose primarily from amino acid precursors, strong evidence now is available that ethanoate also is involved. The mode of alkaloid biosynthesis is not yet as well understood as that of the terpenes and steroids. One experimental problem is the difficulty of feeding suitably labeled precursors to plants.