Tropine

Tropine

Tropine is an organic compound and a tertiary amine, which is used as a building block in the preparation of a variety of pharmaceuticals. It is a derivative of tropane containing a nitrogen atom. Tropine is a bicyclic molecule, with one of the cycles being a piperidine.

Structure and reactivity

Tropine is a bicyclic molecule, with one of the cycles being a piperidine. The other cycle is a cycloheptane structure. The nitrogen atom in the piperidine ring makes tropine a tertiary amine. The molecule is chiral, with the nitrogen atom being a stereocenter.

Synthesis

Tropine can be synthesized from tropane through a series of chemical reactions. The first step is the reduction of the nitrogen atom in tropane to form a secondary amine. This is followed by a Mannich reaction, which introduces a new carbon atom to the molecule. The final step is a reduction of the newly formed imine to a tertiary amine, resulting in tropine.

Uses

Tropine is used as a building block in the synthesis of a variety of pharmaceuticals. It is a key intermediate in the production of atropine, a drug used to treat certain types of heart disease, and scopolamine, a drug used to treat motion sickness and postoperative nausea and vomiting.

See also

• Tropane
• Atropine
• Scopolamine