10.7 Terpenes

Terpenes are available in nature as a diverse class of lipids. Some of them are used as spices, perfumes and medicines for thousands of years (Scheme 1). The terpenes having functional groups such as OH and carbonyl group are called terpenoids.

Scheme 1

The naturally available terpenes are usually made by joining together the isoprene units, usually in head-to-tail fashion. For examples, Scheme 2 shows the head-to-tail joining of the isoprene units.

Scheme 2