Progress in the Chemistry of Organic Natural Products 104

The first contribution describes apolar and polar molecular fossils and, in particular biomarkers, along the lines usually followed in organic chemistry textbooks, and points to their bioprecursors when available. Thus, the apolar compounds are divided in linear and branched alkanes followed by alicyclic compounds and aromatic and heterocyclic molecules, and, in particular, the geoporphyrins. The polar molecular fossils contain as functional groups or constituent units ethers, alcohols, phenols, carbonyl groups, flavonoids, quinones, and acids, or are polymers like kerogen, amber, melanin, proteins, or nucleic acids. The final sections discuss the methodology used and the fundamental processes encountered by the biomolecules described, including diagenesis, catagenesis, and metagenesis.
The second contribution covers the distribution of phthalides in nature and the findings in the structural diversity, chemical reactivity, biotransformations, syntheses, and bioactivity of naturaland semisynthetic phthalides.

• Molecular fossils
• Geological biomarkers
• Alkanes
• Aromatic compounds
• Phthalide
• Umbelliferae
• Bioactivity

• Division of Medicinal Chemistry & Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, USA

  A. Douglas Kinghorn

• Institute of Organic Chemistry, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Linz, Austria

  Heinz Falk

• Research Department of Pharmaceutical and Biological Chemistry, UCL School of Pharmacy, London, UK

  Simon Gibbons

• Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan

  Jun’ichi Kobayashi

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