Pyridine alkaloids

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Pyridine , basic structure of the pyridine alkaloids
Virginian tobacco ( Nicotiana tabacum )
Farmer's Tobacco ( Nicotiana rustica )

Pyridine alkaloids are natural substances that are chemically derived from pyridine . The most important representatives of the pyridine alkaloids are contained in the tobacco plant and are therefore also referred to as tobacco alkaloids .

Occurrence

Pyridine alkaloids occur in Virginian tobacco as well as in peasant tobacco .

Representative

A glowing cigarette

The main alkaloid of Virginian tobacco and peasant tobacco is nicotine . Further representatives are nornicotine , anabasine and anatabine . In other Nicotiana species, anabasine or nornicotine can predominate instead of nicotine. The alkaloids myosmin and cotinine arise among other things. a. while smoking tobacco. The content of tobacco alkaloids in tobacco smoke condensate is 6–8%.

Further representatives of the pyridine alkaloid group are the areca alkaloids in betel and ricinine in castor oil .

  • (-) - Nicotine

  • (-) - nornicotine

  • (-) - anabasine

  • (-) - Anatabine

  • Myosmin

  • Cotinine

Properties and use

(-) - Nicotine has a stimulating effect on the nervous system and increases blood pressure. It is also used to quit smoking in the form of nicotine patches . The lethal dose for a human is 1 mg / kg body weight. It is obtained in large quantities from tobacco waste and, like anabasine, is used to control pests .

The tobacco alkaloids, especially nicotine and cotinine, are used as an ingredient in e-cigarettes.

history

Alkaloids of this group were used as tobacco broth against plant pests as early as the middle of the 19th century. This was the beginning of chemical crop protection. Due to the high toxicity of tobacco alkaloids, this type of pest control was rejected again. The “tobacco broth” is only still used by allotment gardeners and in the private sector. Research into toxicity led to the development of neonicotinoids , a powerful class of insect control agents.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ H. Latscha, U. Kazmaier: Chemistry for Biologists . 4th edition. Springer Spectrum, Berlin Heidelberg 2016, ISBN 978-3-662-47783-0 , p. 683 .
  2. ↑ a b c d e Entry on tobacco alkaloids. In: Römpp Online . Georg Thieme Verlag, accessed on May 13, 2020.
  3. ↑ a b E. Breitmaier: Alkaloids . Springer Fachmedien, Wiesbaden 1997, ISBN 978-3-519-03542-8 , pp. 38 .
  4. ↑ Entry on pyridine. In: Römpp Online . Georg Thieme Verlag, accessed on June 20, 2014.