Date of Award
7-1931
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science
Keywords
Alkaloids, Plant Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Morphine, Quinine, Strychnine, Nicotine, Caffeine, Opium Alkaloids
Abstract
This thesis, presented for the degree of Bachelor of Science, provides a systematic chemical study of the alkaloids, a class of complex nitrogenous plant substances possessing basic properties. Barre opens by defining the alkaloids and surveying the various systems used to classify them, whether by natural versus artificial origin, chemical nucleus (pyridine, quinoline, or isoquinoline), volatility, or botanical family of origin, and outlines their general physical and chemical properties, including solubility, optical activity, and characteristic reactions with precipitating and color-test reagents.
The thesis details standard laboratory methods for the extraction and separation of alkaloids from plant material, including a step-by-step protocol using a series of immiscible solvents to isolate individual alkaloids from complex mixtures. The bulk of the thesis is then organized as a systematic survey of specific alkaloid groups, arranged by plant family, addressing their chemical structure, physical properties, synthesis, and physiological or medicinal action. Groups discussed include hydrastine and berberine, lobeline, cocaine and its synthetic substitutes, pomegranate bark alkaloids, ergot alkaloids, physostigmine, veratrina and veratrum alkaloids, colchicine, nux vomica alkaloids (strychnine and brucine), areca nut alkaloids, opium alkaloids (including morphine, codeine, and thebaine), pepper alkaloids, aconite alkaloids, the cinchona alkaloids (including quinine), nicotine, ipecacuanha alkaloids, caffeine and theobromine, pilocarpine, solanaceous alkaloids (including atropine and scopolamine), and hemlock alkaloids. For each group, Barre presents structural formulas, chemical reactions demonstrating molecular composition, and relevant synthetic pathways drawn from the pharmaceutical and organic chemistry literature of the period.
Note: No original abstract was included; this abstract is provided by the XULA Digital Commons editors.
Recommended Citation
Barre, Felix F., "The Alkaloids" (1931). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 195.
https://digitalcommons.xula.edu/etd/195
Included in
Medicinal and Pharmaceutical Chemistry Commons, Organic Chemistry Commons, Plant Biology Commons