| (-)-Menthol (m.p. 44ºC) | S-(-)-limonene (b.p. 176ºC) | R-(+)-limonene (b.p. 176ºC) | Camphor (m.p. 180ºC) | Grandisol (m.p. <25ºC) |
Menthol has slight anesthesic, refreshing properties. It is used as an anti-pruriginous agent in dermathology and as weak anesthesic in otorhinolaryngology for laringitis treatment. It also displays antiseptic properties.
Limonene can be dextrorotatory, levorotatory or racemic. Levorotatory limonene (-) is extracted from orange peel and is responsible of orange smell.
Dextrorotatory limonene (+) is very abundant in Nature. Ii is an oily liquid present in lemon peel and responsible of lemon smell.
Camphor is a solid, crystalline and volatile substance of ardent flavor and characteristic smell found in bay leafs and related plants. It is a weak anestheis for topic use (camphor alcohols).
Grandisol is a pheromone that sexually attracts the male insect that plagues the cotton plants.
| Cholesterol (m.p. 149ºC) | Cholic acid | Cortisone | Testosterone | Estradiol | Progesterone |
Cholesterol was isolated from bile in 1769 but its structure was not established until 1932. Woodward performed its total synthesis in 1951. It is found in all animal fats. Cholesterol intercalates among the phospholipids forming the celullar membranes in animals. It makes the membranes more rigid and less permeable. Without cholesterol, the animal cells would need a wall like that of bacteria.
The structural elucidation of cholic acid by Wieland was one of the most important achievements in classic organic chemistry. It is formed in the liver from cholesterol degradation and plays a emulsifying role in bile.
Cortisone is an adrenocortical hormone with a notable anti-inflammatory activity.
Testosterone is the main androgynious hormone, secreted by the interstitial tissue of the testicles. It controls sperm formation, the development of genitals and the secondary sexual characters.
Estradiol is an hormone amounting for almost all the estrogen secretion in women along the whole time their genitals remain active. A synthetic analogue is used in contraceptive pills.
Progestorona is an hormone secreted by the yellow body in ovaries. It prepares the uterus mucose for the nesting, maintainance and developement of the fertilized egg. It was isolated in 1934 and its estructure was established in 1935.| Cyclopropane | Cyclobutane | Cyclopentane | Cyclohexane |
Cyclopropane
Cyclobutane
Cyclopentane
Cyclohexane
| cis-1,2-dimethylcyclopropane | trans-1,2-dimethylcyclopropane |
cis-1,2-dimethylcyclopropane
trans-1,2-dimethylcyclopropane
