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Chemistry in the Garden PDF

158 Pages·2007·0.87 MB·English
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C Chemistry h The peace and tranquillity of the garden hides a e battle-ground dominated by chemical warfare… m the role of natural products in the ecological in the Garden i chemistry of the garden is both extensive and s t fascinating! r y The aim of this book is to describe some aspects of the i chemistry and chemical ecology which are found in the n J R Hanson garden. t h The numerous interactions between plants, the soil e and other organisms in which chemistry plays a central G mediating role are discussed in this book. The themes covered, include several of the chemically a and ecologically interesting compounds that are r d produced by common ornamental garden plants and e vegetables, as well as those compounds produced by n the predators that attack them. Many chemists are amateur gardeners and this book will appeal to them and all those with a general interest in the scientific processes involved in the garden. H Barcode area a Visit the website at: Align to base of n s www.rsc.org/books o web address n Chemistry in the Garden Chemistry in the Garden James R. Hanson Department of Chemistry, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK ISBN:978-0-85404-897-7 AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary rJamesRHanson2007 Allrightsreserved Apart from fair dealing for the purposes of research for non-commercial purposes or for privatestudy,criticismorreview,aspermittedundertheCopyright,DesignsandPatents Act1988andtheCopyrightandRelatedRightsRegulations2003,thispublicationmaynot be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permissioninwritingofTheRoyalSocietyofChemistry,orinthecaseofreproductionin accordancewiththetermsoflicencesissuedbytheCopyrightLicensingAgencyintheUK, or in accordance with the terms of the licences issued by the appropriate Reproduction RightsOrganizationoutsidetheUK.Enquiriesconcerningreproductionoutsidetheterms statedhereshouldbesenttoTheRoyalSocietyofChemistryattheaddressprintedonthis page. PublishedbyTheRoyalSocietyofChemistry, ThomasGrahamHouse,SciencePark,MiltonRoad, CambridgeCB40WF,UK RegisteredCharityNumber207890 Forfurtherinformationseeourwebsiteatwww.rsc.org Foreword I am very pleased to have been asked to provide a foreword for this authoritativeaccount of the chemical interactionsand linkages between garden plants and practices and chemistry, as these subjects are rarely referred to in any detail, even in books devoted to the science of gardening. While opinions, often entrenched, are expressed on the use or misuse of chemical sprays for controlling weeds, pests and diseases and the effects on plants of the application of inorganic or organic fertilisers, seldomisanyconsiderationgivenbygardeners,whetherprofessionalor amateur,tothewaysinwhichchemistryissointimatelyconnectedwith their own hobby or profession and its importance in understanding the plants they grow and their cultivation. As Dr Hanson indicates in his Preface, chemistry and chemical ecology play a central role in determining a great deal of what happens in gardens and the numerous chemical interactions that take place between the soil and the plants we grow. As a non-chemist with only distant memories of the structures of amino acids, polysaccharides, polyketides and many other chemical compounds mentioned here and once studied in relation to my botanical background, I read this book with a degree of trepidation. I need not have had concerns, however, as it is written in a very informative style that follows a logical pattern throughoutwith,subjectbysubject,linkagesbetweenthechemistryand the elements of gardening being clearly established. DrHansonhasconcentratedprimarilyonthemostinterestingchemi- cal and ecological compounds that are important in terms of the cultivation of vegetables, fruit and ornamental plants, the soil in which they grow and the natural interactions between plants and the insect pests and disease organisms that attack them. Throughout this book there is a wealth of information on the natural chemical background v vi Foreword upon which so many garden plants depend both to survive and thrive.Theseincludenaturaldefencemechanisms–anti-feedantswithin plants – to help combat insect pests and diseases; root exudates as in lily-of-the-valley to deter the spread of competing plants; the chemical background to colour and scent in garden plants and to the medicinal properties attributable to the cardiac glycosides in foxgloves; and the anti-bacterial and anti-fungal activity of allicin derived from garlic. These are just a few of the wide-ranging subjects covered in this stimulating account of chemistry in the garden. While this book is primarily aimed at fellow chemists who are keen gardeners,itprovidesmuchfactualandveryusefulinformationthatwill also be of considerable interest and value to professional and amateur gardeners as well as degree level students in the natural sciences who I trust will enjoy and benefit from its contents as I have. Chris Brickell CBE, VMH Former Director RHS Garden, Wisley and former Director General, RHS Preface Chemistrydeterminesmuchofwhathappensinthegarden.Thegrowth, thecolourandthe scentof plants andmany of theinteractionsbetween species in the garden have a chemical basis. The aim of this book is to describe some aspects of the chemistry and chemical ecology which are found in the garden. The natural products that are described in the major undergraduate textbooks were often isolated from medi- cinal plants many of which came from the tropics. With a few excep- tions, common garden plants, despite their availability and diversity, rarely figured in this discussion. In the garden there are numerous interactions between plants, the soil and with other organisms in which chemistry plays a central mediating role. Many chemists are amateur gardeners and this book is directed at them. The book arose from discussions over coffee in which colleagues proudly described their triumphs at the local horticultural shows and I, as a bystander, was left wondering what were the structures of the compounds and the chemistry in the garden that had contributed to their successes. The Royal Horticultural Society’s Good Plant Guide lists some 3000 recommended plants for British gardens. Many of the common plants have several cultivars differing in size, colour and disease resistance, all factorsinwhichchemistryplaysarole.Furthermore,thereisaseasonal variation in the formation of some natural products, whilst others are produced as a consequence of insect or fungal attack. There are con- siderable regional variations in the soil and local climate and hence in the plants that can successfully be grown in the garden. What may be presentinaplantgrowninonegardenmaynotnecessarilybepresentin another cultivar grown elsewhere. Consequently I have restricted dis- cussion to a limited number of the chemically and ecologically interest- ing compounds that are produced by common ornamental garden vii viii Preface plants, fruit and common vegetables and by the predators that attack them. Nevertheless I hope that this short book stimulates interest in the chemistry of the garden. As with chemical nomenclature, botanical nomenclature is undergo- ingacontinuousprocessofchange.Ihavetried,with thehelpfuladvice of my colleague, David Streeter of the School of Life Sciences in the UniversityofSussex,tousethecurrentlyacceptednamesforplantsand their families. I wish to thank Dr Merlin Fox of the Royal Society of Chemistry, Dr Christopher Brickell and Dr Alex Nichols for their constructive and helpful comments in the preparation of this book. Dr J. R. Hanson University of Sussex Contents Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 Chemical Diversity in Plants 2 1.2 The Structure Elucidation of Natural Products 3 1.3 The Ecological Role of Natural Products 4 1.4 Changes in the Garden 6 Chapter 2 The Biosynthetic Relationship of Natural Products 2.1 Polyketides 12 2.2 Terpenoids 13 2.3 Phenylpropanoids 15 2.4 Alkaloids 17 Chapter 3 Natural Products and Plant Biochemistry in the Garden 3.1 The Structural Material of Plants 21 3.2 Photosynthesis 26 3.3 Oxidative Coenzymes 29 3.4 Plant Hormones 30 Chapter 4 Garden Soils 4.1 The Mineral Structure of the Soil 35 4.2 The Organic Content of the Soil 37 4.3 Nutrients from the Soil 38 4.4 The Role of pH 39 4.5 Fertilizers and Compost 40 4.6 Microbial Interactions within the Soil 41 Chapter 5 The Colour and Scent of Garden Plants 5.1 Colouring Matters 44 5.2 The Carotenoids 44 ix

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This book will make fascinating reading for the chemist with an interest in gardening as well as the gardener with a general interest in the scientific processes involved in the garden, The aim of this book is to describe some aspects of the chemistry and chemical ecology which are found in the gard
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