Worldwide, there are plants known as psychoactive plants that naturally contain psychedelic active components. They have a high concentration of neuroprotective substances that can interact with the nervous system to produce psychedelic effects. Despite these plants' hazardous potential, recreational use of them is on the rise because of their psychoactive properties. Early neuroscience studies relied heavily on psychoactive plants and plant natural products (NPs), and both recreational and hazardous NPs have contributed significantly to the understanding of almost all neurotransmitter systems. Worldwide, there are many plants that contain psychoactive properties, and people have been using them for ages. Psychoactive plant compounds may significantly alter how people perceive the world.
1. Chemphyschem. 2013 Jun 24;14(9):1830-5. doi: 10.1002/cphc.201300199. Epub 2013 May 2. The distorted tropane of scopoline. Écija P(1), Cocinero EJ, Lesarri A, Basterretxea FJ, Fernández JA, Castaño F. Author information: (1)Departamento de Química Física, Facultad de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad del País Vasco (UPV-EHU), Apartado 644, 48080 Bilbao, Spain. The structural isomerization of scopine into scopoline (oscine) has been observed in a supersonic jet expansion using microwave spectroscopy. The rotational spectrum evidences a single structure in the gas phase, providing a first description of the (three-ring) structurally distorted tropane in scopoline. The absence of rotational signatures of any scopine conformation suggests a practically quantitative isomerization at the vaporization temperatures of the experiment (ca. 90 °C). The determined rotational parameters of scopoline reveal the structural consequences of the intramolecular cyclation of scopine, which breaks the original epoxy group and creates a new ether bridge and a 7β-hydroxytropane configuration. The hydroxy group further stabilizes the molecule by an O-H⋅⋅⋅N intramolecular hydrogen bond, which, in turn, forces the N-methyl group to the less stable axial form. Supporting ab initio (MP2) and DFT (B3LYP, M06-2X) calculations are included. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim. DOI: 10.1002/cphc.201300199 PMID: 23640872 [Indexed for MEDLINE]