What is unique about this book? This book is intended for undergraduates, graduates and scientists in general. It introduces certain topics of natural products which are only taught in institutes of higher learning.Despite the fact that there exists a vast literature devoted principally or entirely to naturally occurring compounds, there are very few books or monographs of moderate length that provide an overall view of the field. There are many aspects of natural products that deserve a special emphasis unlikely to be encountered in a conventional course on organic chemistry. Among them are biosynthesis; metabolic transformations; and physiological and biological properties of some of the natural products. The field of the chemistry of natural products is so immense that it embraces an almost limitless scope of the compound types.This book covers the following topics of natural products: cannabinoids; toxic constituents from marine sources; natural sweeteners; generation of wines; biological markers; pheromones of insects and mammals; pest management; and secondary natural chemicals formed by microorganisms. It contains specialized work that describes the chemistry of separate classes of compounds such as steroids, terpenes, alkaloids, sugars, carotenoids, fatty acids and so on. It also includes data on compounds isolated from various classes of organisms such as lichens, bacteria and fungi, which are usually treated in special monographs. The topics in this book are unlikely to be found in general chemistry courses.Contents:The Origin and the Nature of Natural Products (R Ikan)Plant-Derived Natural Products in Drug Discovery and Development: An Overview (M Bahar et al.)Plant and Brain Cannabinoids: The Chemistry of Major New Players in Physiology (L Hanuš & R Mechoulam)Natural Products as Biomarker Tracers in Environmental and Geological Processes (B R T Simoneit)Toxins of Marine Invertebrates and Microorganisms (Y Kashman & Y Benayahu)Enantiomeric Distribution of Odorous Oxygenated Monoterpenes in Aromatic Plants (U Ravid)Recent Trends of Some Natural Sweet Substances from Plants (B Crammer)Natural Products for Pest Management (S O Duke et al.)Natural Products in Mycelial Microorganisms: Impact of Morphology (S Braun)Recent Advances in the Chemistry of Insect Pheromones (M J Goundalkar & F X Webster)Nature Derived Antibiotics (S Kodali & J Wang)Natural Products and Related Compounds of Realized and Potential Use in Treating Neurodegenerative Disease (P J Houghton & M-J Howes)Phytotoxic Compounds with Calmodulin Inhibitor Properties from Selected Mexican Fungi and Plants (R Mata et al.)Potential Anticancer Natural Products from Plant-Associated Fungi (M T Marron & A A Leslie Gunatilaka)Plant Fungal Endophytes: Interactions, Metabolites and Biosyntheses (J R Porter)Readership: Academics, professionals and graduates in chemistry.