Jamil

TREES AND PLANTS

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Benefits of Trees, Plants and Vegetation

• Trees provide Oxygen essential for life. • Energy (Fossil Fuels) / Biofuels
• Food for humans, animals & birds • Clean the air & reduce pollution
• Trees provide Wood /Timber/bamboo • Trees cool the planet from heat
• Plants provide chemicals as Medicines • Trees reduce noise pollution
• Trees regulate temperature of earth • Provide canopy for wild life
• Trees provide Shade/ Green look • Trees conserve water on planet
• All paper is manufactured from trees • Lower the Greenhouse gases
• Trees provide different Resins / Honey • Reduces the malnutrition in masses
• Trees provide shelter (nests) for Birds • Trees promote economy of masses
• Plants provide Flowers/Perfume/ • Reduce flood intensity
• Bind the soil / reduce erosion of soil • Greenery reduces stress & Depression
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CHEMICAL ELEMENTS IN PLANTS

• The chemical elements of which plants are
constructed—principally carbon, oxygen, hydrogen,
nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, etc.—are the same as
for all other life forms: animals, fungi, bacteria and
even viruses.
• But the details of their individual chemicals and
molecular structures are different.
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CHEMISTRY OF PLANTS

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PLANTS PRODUCE CHEMICALS

• Perhaps the most celebrated compounds from plants

are those with pharmacological activity, such as
salicylic acid from which aspirin is made, morphine,
and digoxin (di-jok-sn). Drug companies spend billions
of dollars each year researching plant compounds for
potential medicinal benefits.

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Useful Compounds obtained from Plants

• Anthocyanins :These phenolic compounds are found in many
fruits and are considered essential for increasing antioxidant
activity.
• Flavonoids: These compounds can absorb UV-A and UV-B
solar wavelengths, which protects against UV radiation.
• Carotenoids: These compounds are found in carrots, oranges,
green leafy vegetables, and tomatoes. They are reported to
be anti-cancerous due to their antioxidant properties.
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Useful Compounds obtained from Plants

• Terpenoids :These compounds are present in essential oils and

can be used to control Listeria monocytogenes.
• Berberine: This compound binds with DNA to inhibit
replication, which gives it anticancer properties. It is also low in
toxicity, making it a potential antidiabetic and antiproliferative
agent.
• Others: dyes, oils, resins, waxes, tannins, flavors, gums, and
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Chemicals derived from plants are Jamil
used in medicine
• Alkaloids: A group of nitrogen-bearing molecules found in many plants
• Artemisinin: Used to treat multidrug-resistant malaria
• Aspirin: Derived from willow bark
• Cardiac glycosides: Found in plants like foxglove and lily of the
valley, and have a direct effect on the heart
• Galantamine: Derived from snowdrop bulbs, and used to treat
Alzheimer's disease
• Morphine: Derived from the opium poppy
• Paclitaxel: An anticancer drug derived from the yew tree
• Quinine: Derived from Cinchona spp.
• Silymarin: Used to treat liver disease
• Vinca alkaloids: An anticancer drug derived from the Madagascar
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Chemicals derived from plants are Jamil

used as…….
• Food : Plant compounds can be used as flavoring agents
and functional additives in food supplements.
• Cosmetics: Plant compounds can be used as fragrances
in cosmetics.
• Drug delivery :Liposomes, which are made from polar
lipids, can be used to deliver drugs. Liposomes can
improve the stability, bioavailability, and intracellular
uptake of drugs.
• Antimicrobials: Plant compounds, such as essential oils
(EOs), can be used as antimicrobial additives in edible
coatings. EOs can degrade bacterial cell walls and reduce
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 PLANTS PRODUCE Jamil

CHEMICALS

• Despite this underlying similarity, plants produce a vast array of

chemical compounds with unique properties which they use to
cope with their environment.
• Pigments are used by plants to absorb or detect light, and are
extracted by humans for use in dyes. Other plant products may
be used for the manufacture of commercially important rubber
or biofuel.
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 NATURAL POLYMERS PRODUCED BY Jamil

PLANTS
• Plants produce a number of natural polymers and phenolic resins
in their stem and bark. Starch, cotton, cellulose, rubber, hemp,
and lignin are the common examples of natural polymers. It will
not be wrong to mention that plants are made of natural
polymers.

• Lignin is a class of complex organic polymers that form key

structural materials in the support tissues of most plants. Lignins
are particularly important in the formation of cell walls, especially
in wood and bark, because they lend rigidity and do not rot easily.
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LIGNINS

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NATURAL RUBBER

• Rubber is also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber,

caucho, or caoutchouc, as initially produced, consists of
polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor
impurities of other organic compounds, plus water.
• Thailand and Indonesia are two of the leading rubber
producers. Types of polyisoprene that are used as natural
rubbers are classified as elastomers.
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PHOTOSYNTHESIS

• Photosynthesis is a chemical process whereby sunlight

is transformed by the plant into glucose. Glucose is a
carbohydrate that plants use for energy. During
photosynthesis, chlorophyll converts photons, water
and carbon dioxide to glucose and oxygen. The oxygen
plants produce creates a breathable atmosphere for
animal life.

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PHOTOSYNTHESIS

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JOSEPH PRIESTLEY (1733—1804)

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PRESTELEY’S EXPERIMENT

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PLANTS PRODUCE OXYGEN

• Priestley kept a burning candle and a rat together in
the single bell jar.
• After some time, candle extinguished and the rat died.
• For the second time, he kept a burning candle, rat,
and a green plant together in the bell jar.
• He observed that neither the candle got extinguished,
nor did the rat die.

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RESPIRATION IN PLANTS

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MACRONUTRIENTS REQUIRED BY Jamil

PLANTS
Elements Form of Uptake Notes
NO3−, NH4+ Nucleic acids, proteins,
Nitrogen hormones, etc.
O2, H2O Cellulose, starch, other organic
Oxygen compounds
CO2 Cellulose, starch, other organic
Carbon compounds
H2 O Cellulose, starch, other organic
Hydrogen compounds
Cofactor in protein synthesis,
Potassium K+ water balance, etc.
Membrane synthesis and
Calcium Ca2+ stabilization
Element essential for
Magnesium Mg2+ chlorophyll
H2PO4− Nucleic acids, phospholipids,
Phosphorus ATP
Sulphur SO42− Constituent of proteins
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ESSENTIAL MICRONUTRIENTS FOR PLANTS
Element Form of uptake Notes
Photosystem II and stomata
Chlorine Cl− function
Chlorophyll formation and
Iron Fe2+, Fe3+ nitrogen fixation

Boron HBO3 Crosslinking pectin

Activity of some enzymes and

Manganese Mn2+ photosystem II
Involved in the synthesis of
Zinc Zn2+ enzymes and chlorophyll

Copper Cu+ Enzymes for lignin synthesis

Nitrogen fixation, reduction of

Molybdenum MoO42− nitrates

Enzymatic cofactor in the

Nickel Ni2+ metabolism of nitrogen
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PIGMENTS
• Among the most important molecules for plant function are
the pigments. Plant pigments include a variety of different
kinds of molecules, including porphyrins, carotenoids, and
anthocyanins.
• All biological pigments selectively absorb certain wavelengths
of light while reflecting others. The light that is absorbed may
be used by the plant to power chemical reactions, while the
reflected wavelengths of light determine the color the pigment
appears to the eye.
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CHLOROPHYLL
• Chlorophyll is the primary pigment in plants; it is a porphyrin
that absorbs red and blue wavelengths of light while reflecting
green. It is the presence and relative abundance of chlorophyll
that gives plants their green color.
• All land plants and green algae possess two forms of this
pigment: chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b.
• Kelps, diatoms, and other photosynthetic heterokonts contain
chlorophyll c instead of b, red algae possess chlorophyll a. All
chlorophylls serve as the primary means plants use to intercept
light to fuel photosynthesis. 29
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CHLOROPHYLL

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PLANT HARMONES
• Plant hormones are chemicals that in small amounts
promote and influence the growth, development and
differentiation of cells and tissues.
• Hormones are vital to plant growth; affecting processes
in plants from flowering to seed development,
dormancy, and germination.
• They regulate which tissues grow upwards and which
grow downwards, leaf formation and stem growth, fruit
development and ripening, as well as leaf abscission
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PLANT HORMONES

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PHOTOMORPHOGENESIS (photo-morpho-genesis)

• The use of light to control structural development is

called photomorphogenesis, and is dependent upon
the presence of specialized photoreceptors, which are
chemical pigments capable of absorbing specific
wavelengths of light.
• Plants use four kinds of photoreceptors: phytochrome,
cryptochrome, a UV-B photoreceptor, and
protochlorophyllide (photo-chloro-fi-lide)
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PHOTOPERIODISM (photo-period-ism)

• Photoperiodism is the response of plants to the length of

daylight (photoperiod). It helps plants adjust their growth and
development to the changing seasons.

• Plants have an internal clock that measures the length of

daylight. This clock is controlled by a group of genes that
respond to light and darkness.
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PHOTOPERIODISM (photo-period-ism)

• When the days are long (more than 12 hours of daylight),

plants produce more auxins (growth hormones). This promotes
growth, leaf expansion, and stem elongation.

• When the days are short (less than 12 hours of daylight), plants
produce more ethylene (a ripening hormone). This triggers
flowering and fruiting process.
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WHAT IS “BONSAI” ART?

• Bonsai! It's an ancient and revered art form that originated in
East Asia, particularly in China and Japan. Bonsai is a highly
skilled and patient craft that involves growing and training
trees in containers to create miniature, aesthetically pleasing
versions of full-grown trees.

• A number of factors like selection of tree, container or pot,

regular pruning and trimming and wiring etc. affect in making
the tree Bonsai.
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A STUNNING BONSAI TREE

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WHICH CHEMICAL IS
INVOLVED IN
NATURAL RIPENING
OF FRUITS?

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RIPENING OF FRUITS

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Chemical responsible for ripening

• Most of the fruits like Apples, Mangos, plums and
peaches naturally produce a gaseous compound
called ethylene that starts the ripening process. Its
level in under-ripe fruit is very low, but as fruit
develop, they produce larger amounts that speed up
the ripening process or the stage of ripening known as
the “climacteric.” (cli-mac-tric) The level of ethylene
and rate of ripening is a variety-dependent process.
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ETHYLENE A NATURAL RIPENER

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RIPENING OF FRUITS
• Catalytic generators are used to produce ethylene gas simply
and safely. Ethylene sensors can be used to precisely control
the amount of gas. Covered fruit ripening bowls or bags are
commercially available. These containers increase the amount
of ethylene and carbon dioxide gases around the fruit, which
promotes ripening.
• Climacteric fruits continue ripening after being picked, a
process accelerated by ethylene gas. Non-climacteric fruits can
ripen only on the plant and thus have a short shelf life if
harvested when they are ripe.
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ACETYLENE FOR RIPENING

• Now a days Acetylene, which has a similar effect on
ripening, is artificially produced around the fruit for
rapid ripening.

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How Acetylene is produced?

• Acetylene is produced from calcium carbide. When

this chemical reacts with moisture in the atmosphere,
it produces acetylene and calcium hydroxide
according to the following reaction.

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WHY DO PLANTS DROP LEAVES IN FALL

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 WHY DO PLANTS DROP LEAVES Jamil

IN FALL

• Why some trees drop their leaves before winter. In

the winter, it would take a lot of energy and water for
plants to keep their leaves healthy. But winter is cold,
dry, and usually there isn't much sun (which helps give
plants energy). So, instead of trying to keep their
leaves, some plants drop their leaves and seal the
spots on their branches where the leaves had been
attached.
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Why Leaves Turn Yellow in Autumn

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Why Leaves Turn Yellow in Autumn

• Leaves are colored by molecules called pigments. The
pigment that causes leaves to be green is chlorophyll.
Chlorophyll is important for plants to make food using
sunlight. During spring and summer when there is
plenty of sunlight, plants make a lot of chlorophyll.

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Leaves Look Green Due to Jamil

Chlorophyll

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Structure of Chlorophyll

Chlorophyll A Chlorophyll B 51
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Synthesis of Chlorophyll

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Why Leaves Turn Yellow in Autumn

• In autumn when it starts to get cold, some plants stop
making chlorophyll. Instead, those plants break down
chlorophyll into smaller molecules. As chlorophyll
goes away, other pigments start to show their colors.
This is why leaves turn yellow or red in fall.

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Why Leaves Turn Yellow in Autumn?

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Why Leaves Turn Yellow in Autumn
• There are other pigments in leaves called carotenoids.
Carotenoids are yellow and orange.
• Anthocyanins are other plant pigments that are only made in
the fall. These pigments cause red, pink, or purple colors.
Anthocyanins also protect leaves from being eaten or getting
sun burned.
• So the different colors in leaves are caused by changes in the
pigments. When the weather changes, some plants break
down all the green pigment. This lets beautiful yellows,
oranges, and reds come through in the fall.
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Plants do respond to music

• Plants respond to music by feeling vibrations from sound waves,
which can stimulate biological processes and affect their growth:
• Plant hormone
• Sound causes the plant hormone gibberellic (gibe-e-relic) acid to
lengthen shoots or start seed germination.
• Cell movement
• Sound waves cause plant cells to move, which increases the rate of
nutrient transportation and stimulates the opening of leaf stomata.
• Gene expression
• Sound frequencies can affect gene expression in plants.
• Plant productivity
• Sound can increase plant productivity, disease resistance, and reduce
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PLANTS ENJOY MUSIC

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 DIFFERENT MUSICS HAVE DIFFERENT Jamil

RESPOND
• Classical music: Some studies have shown that
classical music, like Mozart's compositions, can
promote growth and faster blooming.
• Rock music: Some studies have shown that
harsher music, like rock, can stunt growth and
cause wilting.
• Violin music: Some studies have shown that
roses seem to love violin music.
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Glow-in-the-dark trees could someday replace Jamil

city street lights

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