The Chemistry and Biology of Volatiles


Book Description

"Coming to a conclusion, this wonderful, informative and very interesting book presents an excellent overview of small volatile organic compounds and their role in our life and environment. Really fascinating is the entirety of scientific disciplines which were addressed by this book." –Flavour and Fragrance Journal, 2011 "... this book deserves to be a well-used reference in the library of any laboratory specialising in VOC". –Chemistry World, 2011 Volatile compounds are molecules with a relatively low molecular weight allowing for an efficient evaporation into the air. They are found in many areas of our everyday-life: they are responsible for the communication between species such as plants, insects or mammals; they serve as flavours or fragrances in many food products or perfumed consumer articles; and they play an important role in atmospheric chemistry. This book takes an interdisciplinary approach to volatile molecules. Review-style introductions to the main topics in volatile chemistry and biology are provided by international experts, building into a broad overview of this fascinating field. Topics covered include: The structural variety of volatile compounds Biogeneration of volatiles Synthesis of natural and non-natural volatiles Analysis of volatiles Volatile compounds as semiochemicals in plant-plant or plant-insect interactions Volatiles in pest control Pheromones and the influence of volatiles on mammals Olfaction and human perception Volatiles as fragrances The generation of flavours and food aroma compounds Stabilisation and controlled release of volatiles The impact of volatiles on the environment and the atmosphere




Biology of Plant Volatiles


Book Description

Plant volatiles—compounds emitted from plant organs to interact with the surrounding environment—play essential roles in attracting pollinators and defending against herbivores and pathogenes, plant-plant signaling, and abiotic stress responses. Biology of Plant Volatiles, with contributions from leading international groups of distinguished scientists in the field, explores the major aspects of plant scent biology. Responding to new developments in the detection of the complex compound structures of volatiles, this book details the composition and biosynthesis of plant volatiles and their mode of emission. It explains the function and significance of volatiles for plants as well as insects and microbes whose interactions with plants are affected by these compounds. The content also explores the biotechnological and commercial potential for the manipulation of plant volatiles. Features: Combines widely scattered literature in a single volume for the first time, covering all important aspects of plant volatiles, from their chemical structures to their biosynthesis to their roles in the interactions of plants with their biotic and abiotic environment Takes an interdisciplinary approach, providing multilevel analysis from chemistry and genes to enzymology, cell biology, organismal biology and ecology Includes up-to-date methodologies in plant scent biology research, from molecular biology and enzymology to functional genomics This book will be a touchstone for future research on the many applications of plant volatiles and is aimed at plant biologists, entomologists, evolutionary biologists and researchers in the horticulture and perfume industries.




Volatile Organic Compounds in the Atmosphere


Book Description

Every day, large quantities of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are emitted into the atmosphere from both anthropogenic and natural sources. The formation of gaseous and particulate secondary products caused by oxidation of VOCs is one of the largest unknowns in the quantitative prediction of the earth’s climate on a regional and global scale, and on the understanding of local air quality. To be able to model and control their impact, it is essential to understand the sources of VOCs, their distribution in the atmosphere and the chemical transformations which remove these compounds from the atmosphere. In recent years techniques for the analysis of organic compounds in the atmosphere have been developed to increase the spectrum of detectable compounds and their detection limits. New methods have been introduced to increase the time resolution of those measurements and to resolve more complex mixtures of organic compounds. Volatile Organic Compounds in the Atmosphere describes the current state of knowledge of the chemistry of VOCs as well as the methods and techniques to analyse gaseous and particulate organic compounds in the atmosphere. The aim is to provide an authoritative review to address the needs of both graduate students and active researchers in the field of atmospheric chemistry research.




Volatiles in the Martian Crust


Book Description

Volatiles in the Martian Crust is a vital reference for future missions - including ESA's EXO Mars and NASA's Mars2020 rover - looking for evidence of life on Mars and the potential for habitability and human exploration of the Martian crust. Mars science is a rapidly evolving topic with new data returned from the planet on a daily basis. The book presents chapters written by well-established experts who currently focus on the topic, providing the reader with a fresh, up-to-date and accurate view. Organized into two main sections, the first half of the book focuses on the Martian meteorites and specific volatile elements. The second half of the book explores processes and locations on the crust, including what we have learned about volatile mobility in the Martian crust. Coverage includes data from orbiter and in situ rovers and landers, geochemical and geophysical modeling, and combined data from the SNC meteorites. - Presents information about the nature, relationship, and reactivity of chemical elements and compounds on Mars - Explores the potential habitability of Mars - Provides a comprehensive view of volatiles in the Martian crust from studies of actual samples as well as from the variety of landed missions, including the MER and Curiosity rovers - Delivers a vital reference for ongoing and future missions to Mars while synthesizing large data sets and research on volatiles in the Martian atmosphere - Concludes with an informative summary chapter that looks to future Mars missions and what might be learned




Progress in Volatile Organic Compounds Research


Book Description

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have been intensively investigated in the last few decades. Their origins differ: plant secondary metabolites, food/beverages aromas, fungal/bacterial volatiles, and others. VOCs typically occur as complex mixtures of compounds (e.g., monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, norisoprenoids, aliphatic/aromatic compounds, sulfur containing compounds, and others). They form through different biochemical pathways and can be modified or created during drying or maturation, thermal treatment, and others. Different conventional or modern methods of VOCs isolation, followed by the analysis with chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques, usually provide different chemical profiles and have been under constant modification and upgrading. The ecological interactions are mediated by VOCs (inter- and intra-organismic communication) and they can act as pheromones, attractants, or alleochemicals. Among them, chemical biomarkers of botanical origin or chemotaxonomic markers may be found. Many VOCs possess different biological activities, such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiviral, anticancer, and other activities. VOCs research from different sources is required to report their distribution and chemical profiles, and to discover new compounds. This Special Issue aims to attract up-to-date contributions on all aspects of VOCs chemistry, from challenges in their isolation to analysis, and on unlocking their biological activities or other useful properties




Biology, Controls and Models of Tree Volatile Organic Compound Emissions


Book Description

Plant-driven volatile organic compound (BVOC) emissions play a major role in atmospheric chemistry, including ozone and photochemical smog formation in the troposphere, and they extend the atmospheric lifetime of the key greenhouse gas, methane. Furthermore, condensation of photo-oxidation products of BVOCs leads to formation of secondary organic aerosols with profound implications for the earth's solar radiation budget and climate. Trees represent the plant life form that most contributes to BVOC emissions, which gives global forests a unique role in regulating atmospheric chemistry. Written by leading experts in the field, the focus is on recent advancements in understanding the controls on plant-driven BVOC emissions, including efforts to quantitatively predict emissions using computer models, particularly on elicitation of emissions under biotic and abiotic stresses, molecular mechanisms of volatile synthesis and emission and the role of emissions in plant stress tolerance.




Sensing in Nature


Book Description

Biological systems are an emerging discipline that may provide integrative tools by assembling the hierarchy of interactions among genes, proteins and molecular networks involved in sensory systems. The aim of this volume is to provide a picture, as complete as possible, of the current state of knowledge of sensory systems in nature. The presentation in this book lies at the intersection of evolutionary biology, cell and molecular biology, physiology and genetics. Sensing in Nature is written by a distinguished panel of specialists and is intended to be read by biologists, students, scientific investigators and the medical community.




Chemistry of Spices


Book Description

This book (24 chapters) covers the chemistry (chemical composition and structure) of the following spice plants and their products, and provides brief information on the morphology, and postharvest management (storage, packaging and grading) of these crops: black pepper (Piper nigrum), small cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum), large cardamom (Amomum subulatum), ginger, turmeric, cinnamon and cassia (Cinnamomum spp.), clove, nutmeg and mace, coriander (Coriandrum sativum), cumin (Cuminum cyminum), fennel, fenugreek, paprika and chilli (Capsicum spp.), vanilla (Vanilla spp.), ajowan (Trachyspermum ammi), star anise (Illicium verum), aniseed (Pimpinella anisum), garcinia (Garcinia spp.), tamarind, parsley, celery, curry leaf (Murraya koenigii) and bay leaf (Laurus nobilis). This book will be useful to researchers, industrialists and postgraduate students of agriculture, horticulture and phytochemistry, and to spice traders and processors.




Progress in Volatile Organic Compounds Research


Book Description

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have been intensively investigated in the last few decades. Their origins differ: plant secondary metabolites, food/beverages aromas, fungal/bacterial volatiles, and others. VOCs typically occur as complex mixtures of compounds (e.g., monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, norisoprenoids, aliphatic/aromatic compounds, sulfur containing compounds, and others). They form through different biochemical pathways and can be modified or created during drying or maturation, thermal treatment, and others. Different conventional or modern methods of VOCs isolation, followed by the analysis with chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques, usually provide different chemical profiles and have been under constant modification and upgrading. The ecological interactions are mediated by VOCs (inter- and intra-organismic communication) and they can act as pheromones, attractants, or alleochemicals. Among them, chemical biomarkers of botanical origin or chemotaxonomic markers may be found. Many VOCs possess different biological activities, such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiviral, anticancer, and other activities. VOCs research from different sources is required to report their distribution and chemical profiles, and to discover new compounds. This Special Issue aims to attract up-to-date contributions on all aspects of VOCs chemistry, from challenges in their isolation to analysis, and on unlocking their biological activities or other useful properties.




Coffee Flavor Chemistry


Book Description

Die Chemie der Aromastoffe des Kaffees wird hier erstmals in einem Band zusammengefasst! Der Autor erklart eingangig, in welcher Weise analytische Methoden bei der Qualitatskontrolle zum Einsatz kommen, sei es bei Ernte, Rostung, Mischung und Konditionierung oder beim Verkauf des fertigen Produkts. Besonders nutzlich ist die absolut aktuelle Literaturliste (bis 2001!) zur Identifikation fluchtiger Aromastoffe in grunem Kaffee und Rostkaffee.