Fascinating organic molecules from nature

Abstract

(Right) C N Sundaresan is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, Bangalore. His research interests are in synthesis of biologically active compounds, and pharmacuetical co-crystals. European explorers of the New World brought back to Europe exotic specimens of plant and animal origin. One of these was curare, the arrow poison used by the natives of the Orinoco and the Amazon river basins mainly to capture birds and animals for food. Three types of curare were known, namely tubocurare, calabash curare and pot curare. The main plant component of tubocurare was identified as the Menispermaceaeplant Chondrodendrontomentosum, whereas in calabash curare the chief ingredient was the bark of Strychnos toxifera. From tubocurare, the quaternary base, d-tubocurarine was isolated. It is a bis-benzylisoquinoline alkaloid. Calabash curare is a complex mixture of several closely related indole alkaloids.