Strychnine Strychnine is a poisonous alkaloid, C21H22N2O2, obtained in colorless or white rhombic crystals. These have a bitter taste and melt at around 290( C (4 p.1). Alkaloids are any class of naturally occurring organic nitrogen containing bases, usually containing one or more of these nitrogen atoms in a ring of atoms called a cyclic system. Alkaloids are primarily found in plants and are predominant in flowering plant species. The function of alkaloids in plants is thought to be simply a waste
controlled substance by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Several states such as, Connecticut, Kansas, Louisiana, Nevada, New Jersey, Oklahoma, and Tennessee have enacted legislation requiring regulatory controls on Datura Stramonium and its alkaloids. Although atropine, hyoscyamine, and scopolamine data are reported to the National Forensic Laboratory Information System (NFLIS), a DEA database, it is undetermined if the source was from Datura Stramonium or another botanical species. In 2011,
Will Boettcher Biology 355 Erythroxylum coca The Coca Plant The coca plant belongs to the family of Erythroxylacae. This family is comprised of about 200 species, while only four species produce the alkaloid cocaine in its leaves, the most important of which is Erythroxylum coca. Erythroxylum coca is a four to six foot high shrub which is cultivated extensively in South American, especially in Bolivia, Peru, and Columbia. It flourishes best in the warm valleys on the eastern slopes of the Andes
cocaine from the coca plans requires several solvents and a chemical process known as an acid/base extraction, which can fairly easily extract the alkaloids from the plant. The result is a weakly alkaline compound that is able to bind with other acidic compounds which then in turn form different salts. In more specific terms, it is a crystalline tropane alkaloid. Pure cocaine is prepared by neutralizing the compounding salts with alkaline solutions that can help with the precipitation of non-polar basic
widely used by societies historically in both the Old World and the New, and continues to be today. For those interested in ethnobotanical uses of this plant world-wide, Datura is a fascinating topic. While being limited in its uses economically, the alkaloids contained in the plant have been in demand in the past and its application as a subject for botanical research is vast. Heiser has stated that "Datura is a genus of contrasts - from smelly weeds to lovely ornamentals." This paper will attempt to
paralyzed. After paralysis or a coma, death can occur. If overdosed, Atropine can cause very serious consequences but fatalities from Atropine poisoning are very rare but can occur in adults and children. Atropine is the safest alkaloid of all the potential alkaloids. Since death caused by Atropine alone is very rare, the fatal dose has not medically been discovered. If ever overdosed, the side effects of dry mouth, blurred vision, photophobia, anhidrosis, and constipation are
type of psychoactive drug that increase the brains activity. These drugs can amplify alertness, mood, and awareness. Drugs classed as stimulants include: caffeine, nicotine, cocaine, amphetamines and prescription drugs. Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid acquired from the leaves of a coca plant. It is thought to work ... ... middle of paper ... ...ve Macmillan . p328-330. U.S Department of Health and Human Services. (2011). Facts on CNS Depressants. Available: http://teens.drugabuse.gov/
health effects among other issues. 1.0 Introduction A. Attention Material: Cocaine is mostly known as an illegal drug, but very few truly acknowledge it for its medical purposes and fully understand its history in the country. Cocaine is a tropane ester alkaloid ,which is extracted from the leaves of the coca (Erythroxylon coca) plant (Clayton, 1996). Cocaine is considered the most powerful and most dangerous drug of natural origin. Cocaine is illegal in the United States and is classified under the