Alkaloid

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An alkaloid, strictly speaking, is a naturally-occurring amine produced by a plant,<ref>Carey, Francis A. [1987] (2006). Organic Chemistry, 6th ed., New York: McGraw Hill, 954. ISBN 0-07-282837-4. “(Strictly speaking, these compounds are not classified as alkaloids because they are not isolated from plants.)”</ref> but amines produced by animals and fungi are also called alkaloids. Many alkaloids have pharmacological effects on humans and animals. The name derives from the word alkaline; originally, the term was used to describe any nitrogen-containing base. Alkaloids are usually derivatives of amino acids. Most alkaloids have a very bitter taste. They are found as secondary metabolites in plants (e.g., in potatoes and tomatoes), animals (e.g., in shellfish) and fungi, and can be extracted from their sources by treatment with acids (usually hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid, though organic acids such as maleic acid and citric acid are sometimes used).

While many alkaloids, such as strychnine or coniine, are poisonous, some are used in medicine as analgesics (pain relievers) or anaesthetics, particularly morphine and codeine.

[edit] Alkaloid classifications

Alkaloids are usually classified by their common molecular precursors, based on the metabolic pathway used to construct the molecule. When not much was known about the biosynthesis of alkaloids, they were grouped under the names of known compounds, even some non-nitrogenous ones (since those molecules' structures appear in the finished product; the opium alkaloids are sometimes called "phenanthrenes", for example), or by the plants or animals they were isolated from. When more is learned about a certain alkaloid, the grouping is changed to reflect the new knowledge, usually taking the name of a biologically-important amine that stands out in the synthesis process.