Phytochemistry: Introduction to Plant Chemistry

Phytochemistry is the area that comprises the study of chemical substances found in plants, including the metabolism that originates these compounds, their ecological context, their production by plants, their classification, isolation, and potential applications for human use, including applications in areas such as medicine, cosmetics, and food industry. Thus, this course aims to introduce the viewer to this fascinating world of phytochemistry by addressing the topics of secondary metabolism, types of secondary metabolites, methods of studying plant extracts, an overview of structural elucidation techniques, and biotechnological applications.

This introductory course has theoretical classes on the subjects covered in the form of a video, and at the end of each section, there is a Quiz on the content to be answered. In some classes, a scientific article is added as an additional resource for further reading on the topic. The course is divided into 6 main sections:

• Introduction to phytochemistry

• Secondary metabolism

• Secondary metabolites

• Plant investigation methods

• An overview of Structural identification methods

• Biotechnological applications of natural products

So if you ...

1. Want to know the area of ​​phytochemistry

2. Want to know what kind of molecules can be found in plants

3. Are you curious to understand the principles of isolation techniques of molecules of a plant

4. Want to know the main techniques for identifying compounds isolated from a plant

5. Want to know what is the role of plant molecules in nature

6. Wish to know how to look for plants that may be useful in medicine

7. Would like to know the usefulness of plants in the food industry, agriculture, among others

8. Would like to know how to search plant molecules in a small-molecule database (PUBCHEM)

... this introductory course is for you!