Distribution in plants

M.p. 234-235 C. Hydrolyses to aspartic acid. L-asparagine can be prepared from lupin seedlings, and DL-asparagine is synthesised from ammonia and maleic anhydride. L-asparagine is very widely distributed in plants, being found in all the Leguminosae and Gramineae, and in many other seeds, roots and buds. 

D-galactose, C HiiOe. Crystallizes in the pyranose form m.p. 1I8-120 C (monohydrate), 165-5" C (anhydrous). An isomer of glucose which is fairly widely distributed in plants. It is a constituent of raffinose and slachyose, of hemicelluloses, of pectin, of gums and mucilages, and of some glycosides. In animals it forms half the lactose molecule and is the sugar found in the brain. Chemically it is very similar to glucose. It has the structure... 

Hydrocarbons, compounds of carbon and hydrogen, are stmcturally classified as aromatic and aliphatic the latter includes alkanes (paraffins), alkenes (olefins), alkynes (acetylenes), and cycloparaffins. An example of a low molecular weight paraffin is methane [74-82-8], of an olefin, ethylene [74-85-1], of a cycloparaffin, cyclopentane [287-92-3], and of an aromatic, benzene [71-43-2]. Cmde petroleum oils [8002-05-9], which span a range of molecular weights of these compounds, excluding the very reactive olefins, have been classified according to their content as paraffinic, cycloparaffinic (naphthenic), or aromatic. The hydrocarbon class of terpenes is not discussed here. Terpenes, such as turpentine [8006-64-2] are found widely distributed in plants, and consist of repeating isoprene [78-79-5] units (see Isoprene Terpenoids). 

Tetraterpenes. Carotenoids make up the most important group of C q terpenes and terpenoids, although not all carotenoids contain 40 carbon atoms. They are widely distributed in plant, marine, and animal life. It has been estimated that nature produces about 100 million t/yr of carotenoids synthetic production amounts to several hundred tons per year (207,208). 

Glycosides, particularly of phenoHc compounds, are widely distributed in plant tissues (2,10). Glycosides of anthocyanidins, flavones, flavanols, flavanones, flavanonols, stilbenes and saponins, gaUic acid derivatives, and condensed tannins are all common. 

Solanaceous alkaloids, 64 analytical methods, 69 distribution in plants, 65-7 pharmacological action, 105 Solandra spp., 66, 82 Solandrine, 82 Solaneine, 662... 

Carbonic anhydrase was the first Zn metallo-enzyme to be discovered (1940) and in its several forms is widely distributed in plants and animals. It catalyses the equilibrium reaction ... 

Runia, XT. 1987 Strontium and calcium distribution in plants effect on paleodietaiy studies. 

Frankenberger, Jr., and Muhammad Arshad Handbook of Weed Management Systems, edited by Albert E. Smith Soil Sampling, Preparation, and Analysis, Kim H. Tan Soil Erosion, Conservation, and Rehabilitation, edited by Menachem Agassi Plant Roots The Hidden Half, Second Edition, Revised and Expanded, edited by Yoav Waisel, Amram Eshel, and Uzi Kafkafi Photoassimilate Distribution in Plants and Crops Source-Sink Relationships, edited by Eli Zamski and Arthur A. Schaffer Mass Spectrometry of Soils, edited by Thomas W. Boutton and Shinichi Yamasaki... 

Lipoxygenases, which catalyse the oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids containing the cis,cis-l,4-pentadiene moiety to the corresponding 1 -hydroperoxy-f rans,ds-2,4-diene (Table 2.3), are widely distributed in plants and animals. The mammalian... 

Saponins are a family of glycosides (sugar derivatives) widely distributed in plants. Each saponin consists of a sugar moiety bound to a sapogenin (either a steroid or a triterpene). The immunostimulatory properties of the saponin fraction isolated from the bark of Quillaja (a tree) has been long recognized. Quil A (which consists of a mixture of related saponins) is used as an adjuvant in selected veterinary vaccines. However, its haemolytic potential precludes its use in human vaccines. Research efforts continue in an attempt to identify individual saponins (or derivatives thereof) that would make safe and effective adjuvants for use in human medicine. 

Starch, a reserve polysaccharide widely distributed in plants, is the most important carbohydrate in the human diet. In plants, starch is present in the chloroplasts in leaves, as well as in fruits, seeds, and tubers. The starch content is especially high in cereal grains (up to 75% of the dry weight), potato tubers (approximately 65%), and in other plant storage organs. 

Terpenoids are one of the many classes of allelochemicals known to play an important role in such Interactions (13). Of particular interest are the diterpenoids. These are widely distributed in plants, and are also present in fungi and marine organisms, and as such provide a ready source for the isolation of new compounds (13-15). 

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