What is Alkaloid

As the definition alkaloid is a class of nitrogen containing natural product of plant origin that have an alkaline or basic chemical nature. Some alkaloid are simple, monocyclic (one ring) amines, but many are very complex, polycyclic amines.

Alkaloid is determined by the acidity of molecular sources (precursors), base on the metabolic pathway that use to form that molecule. If the biosynthesis of the alkaloid unknown, alkaloid then classified into the name of their compound, include of compound that not contain of nitrogen, as an example, alkaloid of opium, sometimes called as phenanthrenes, or base according to the name of plant or animals where that substance is isolated. After analyses, grouping of alkaloid change according to the result of analyses, usually contain amine name.

• Piridine group: piperine, coniine, trigonelline, arecoline, arecaidine, guvacine, cytisine, lobeline, nikotine, anabasine, sparteine, pelletierine
• Pyrrolidine Group: hygrine, cuscohygrine, nikotina
• Tropane group: atropine, kokaine, ecgonine, scopolamine, catuabine

And many other group of alkaloid.