In Volume 18 of this well-established series, Professor Atta-ur-Rahman again brings together the work of several of the world's leading authorities in organic chemistry. Their contributions demonstrate the rapid, ongoing development of this field by illustrating many of the latest advances in synthetic methods, total synthesis, structure determination, biosynthetic pathways, and biological activity.

The opening chapter presents an overview of strategies for the synthesis of several classes of natural products with an emphasis on complex polycyclic systems. Subsequent chapters discuss the synthesis of specific classes of compounds, including morphine, polyketides, acetogenins, nonactic acid derivatives, complex spirocyclic ethers, a-lactam and pyridone derivatives, inositol phosphates, sphingolipids, brassinosteroids, Hernandia lignans, and dimeric steroidal pyrazine alkaloids. Finally, the ever stronger links between chemistry and biology are reinforced by chapters on the origin and function of secondary metabolites, bioactive conformations of gastrin hormones, and immunochemistry.


The Studies in Natural Products Chemistry series is a valuable source for researchers and engineers working in natural product and medicinal chemistry. Studies in Natural Products Chemistry Volume 31: Indices Part A encompasses the contents of the previous 30 volumes published in the Studies in Natural Products series. To make searching easier, the book is divided into four separate indices: Cumulative General Subject Index; Cumulative Organic Synthesis Index; Cumulative Pharmacological Activity Index and; Cumulative Biological Source Index, allowing readers to easily locate required information. This volume and the series remain an important addition to any library.


Natural product chemistry covers a fascinating area of organic chemistry and its study has enriched organic chemistry in a myriad of different ways. In recent years the thrust has been in three major directions: advances in stereoselective synthesis of bioactive natural products, developments in structure elucidation of complex natural products through the applications of multidimensional NMR and mass spectroscopy, and the integration of bioassay procedures with the isolation processes leading to the isolation of active principles from the extracts. The present volume reflects these developments, and the growing emphasis on bioactive natural products, chemical constituents of echinoderms, diterpenoids from Rabdosia and Eremophila sp., structural studies on saponins, marine sesquiterpene quinones and antimicrobial activity of amphibian venoms.
The reviews on bioactive metabolites of Phomophis, cardenolide detection by ELISA, xenocoumacins and bioactive dihydroisocoumarins, CD studies of carbohydrate-molybdate complexes, oncogene function inhibitors from microbial secondary metabolites and Gelsemium and Lupin alkaloids present frontier developments in several areas of natural product chemistry. It is hoped that the present volume, which contains articles by eminent authorities in each field, will be received with the same enthusiasm as the previous volumes of this series.

Rapid advances in chromatographic procedures, spectroscopic techniques and pharmacological assay methods have resulted in the discovery of an increasing number of new and interesting natural products from terrestrial and marine sources. The present volume contains comprehensive reviews on some of the major advances in this field which have taken place in recent years. The reviews include those on: novel metabolites from marine gastropods; the chemistry of marine natural products of the Halenaquinol family; secondary metabolites from Echinoderms and Bryozoans; triterpenoids and aromatic compounds from medicinal plants; chemistry and activity of sesquiterpenes from the genus Lactarius; the chemistry of bile alcohols; antifungal sesquiterpene dialdehydes; annonaceous acetogenins; nargenicin macrolides; and lignans and diarylheptanoids. Tropane alkaloids and phenolides formed by root cultures are also reviewed. Articles on natural Diels-Alder type adducts, the use of computer aided overlay for modelling the substrate binding domain of HLADH, applications of 170 NMR spectroscopy to natural product chemistry and the role of biological raw materials in synthesis are included. Volume 17 provides material of interest to natural products chemists.

Natural Products Chemistry continues to grow at an increasing pace and this growth is reflected in the present volume of Studies in Natural Products Chemistry, which is the 20th of this series. The first 20 volumes were largely devoted to structure and synthesis of various classes of natural products, irrespective of their bioactivity. Subsequent volumes of this series will however be devoted to the chemistry of bioactive natural products and will therefore a departure from the earlier volumes.

The present volume contains contributions from a number of eminent scientists and covers interesting reviews on terpenes, alkaloids and other types of natural products reported from terrestrial and marine sources. Comprehensive indexes covering all the 20 volumes have been prepared which include a Cumulative General Subject Index along with more focused Cumulative Indices on Organic Synthesis, Pharmacological Activity and Biological Source. This comprehensive indexing of the volumes should make the entire series much more valuable and user-friendly.

v. 27

Bioactive Natural Products

by Atta-ur Rahman

Published 11 December 2002
Natural products play an integral and ongoing role in promoting numerous aspects of scientific advancement, and many aspects of basic research programs are intimately related to natural products. The significance, therefore, of the 28th volume in the Studies in Natural Product Chemistry series, edited by Professor Atta-ur-Rahman, cannot be overestimated. This volume, in accordance with previous volumes, presents us with cutting-edge contributions of great importance. The first paper presents over 100 compounds obtained from Broussonetia spp., and discusses biological activities. This is followed by similar contributions dealing with the genus Licania and Ginkgo biloba. Additional papers describe in detail a number of interesting and important natural compounds or structural classes: retinoids, tetramic acid metabolites, isoprenylated flavonoids, plant polyphenols, crocin, marcfortine and paraherquamide, acaricides, podolactones, triterpene glycosides and sulfur-containing marine compounds. An additional paper focuses on the antitumor activities of lipids, and a final contribution deals with natural product amelioration of cancer chemotherapy-induced adverse reactions.

Natural products play an integral and ongoing role in promoting numerous aspects of scientific advancement, and many aspects of basic research programs are intimately related to natural products. The significance, therefore, of the Studies in Natural Product Chemistry series, edited by Professor Atta-ur-Rahman, cannot be overestimated. This volume, in accordance with previous volumes, presents us with cutting-edge contributions of great importance.

Structure and Chemistry (Part E)

by Atta-ur Rahman

Published 30 September 1997
This volume presents research work carried out over a wide front of natural product chemistry. It includes the synthesis of dendrobatid alkaloids, aspidosperma and related alkaloids and some natural products via aliphatic nitro derivatives, cannabinoids, brassinosteroids, quinocarcin and its relate compounds, mannostatins and cyclophellitols and derivatives of grandiflorenic acid and some related diterpines. The text also presents marine cyclic halo ether compounds, oxidative ring transformation furylcarbinols and stereoselective synthesis of C-branded nucleoside analogues. Work on novel polysaccharides from microorganisms and plants, the dereplication of plant-derived natural products, siderophores from fluorescent pseudomonas is also presented.