What Is Tropane?
Tropane is a bicyclic organic compound with the chemical formula C8H15N.
Tropane is a naturally occurring alkaloid found in many plants, such as belladonna and daphne. Naturally occurring carbon compounds with the tropanes structure are called tropanes alkaloids and are used in a variety of medicines because of their anticholinergic properties.
There are many types of tropane alkaloids obtained from plants, including cocaine, atropine, and hyoscyamine. They produce symptoms such as paralysis, anesthesia, and hallucinations, so they should be handled with care.
Uses of Tropanes
Tropanes and its derivatives are used as anticholinergic agents in a variety of treatments, including motion sickness, irritable bowel syndrome, and Parkinson’s disease. Tropane alkaloids have also been used as analgesics, local anesthetics, and in the treatment of drug addiction.
Tropane alkaloids are often used in agriculture as natural insecticides and herbicides. They have been used to control crop pests and weeds, but their use has been limited due to their toxicity.
Illegal drugs such as cocaine and crack cocaine are also derived from tropane alkaloids. Plants containing tropane alkaloids are toxic and can be taken into the blood through the skin. It causes increased body temperature, dry mouth, dilated pupils, and poor vision.
Properties of Tropanes
Tropanes is a bicyclic organic compound belonging to the alkaloids family, with the chemical formula C8H15N and molecular weight of 125.21 g/mol. Tropanes is a colorless, crystalline solid that is only slightly soluble in water, but soluble in organic solvents such as ethanol and chloroform.
Tropanes is a chiral compound, with two enantiomers that are mirror images of each other. These enantiomers have the same physical properties but different biological activities. Tropanes and their derivatives have a variety of pharmacological actions, including analgesic, antispasmodic, and mydriatic effects.
Structure of Tropanes
Tropanes has a bicyclic structure consisting of a fused 7-membered ring and a 5-membered ring; the 7-membered ring contains a nitrogen atom, which affects the basic properties of tropanes.
The crystal structure of tropanes has been extensively studied, and crystal structure analysis has revealed that tropanes forms a monoclinic system with space group P21/n. The crystal structure reveals that tropanes has a slightly concave conformation, with the seven-membered rings chair-shaped and the five-membered rings ship-shaped.
The tropanes molecule has two optical isomers due to the presence of a chiral center at the nitrogen atom. The two enantiomers of tropanes, (-)-tropanes and (+)-tropanes, are mirror images of each other and exhibit different biological activities.
Other Information on Tropanes
How Tropanes Are Made
Tropanes and their derivatives are usually isolated from plants and other natural products, but can also be synthesized by organic chemical methods. Industrially, they are produced by a multi-step synthesis using pyridine as the starting material.
1. Nitration of Pyridine
Pyridine is nitrated with a mixture of concentrated nitric acid and sulfuric acid to synthesize 3-nitropyridine.
2. Reduction of 3-Nitropyridine
The resulting 3-nitropyridine is reduced to 3-aminopyridine using hydrogen gas and a nickel catalyst.
3. Synthesis of Tropinone
Tropinone is prepared by cyclization of 3-aminopyridine with 2-chloroethanol or ethylene oxide in the presence of a strong base such as potassium hydroxide.
4. Reduction of Tropinone
Tropinone is reduced to tropine using sodium borohydride or lithium aluminum hydride.
5. Esterification of Tropinone
In the presence of a strong acid catalyst such as sulfuric acid, tropine can be esterified with a carboxylic acid such as benzoyl chloride or tropic acid to produce the desired tropane and tropane derivatives.
Although this process is complex and requires multiple steps, it is an established industrial process for producing a variety of tropane derivatives.