Mention terpenes, or more properly isoprenoids, to a biologist and they are likely to conjure up mental images of chemical structures with a striking similarity to hexa-methyl chicken wire. Mention the same to a chemist and they are likely to imagine swirling electrons and carbocations within the complexities of the chicken wire. Yet, everyone is familiar with terpenes. These are the compounds that give many of our foods wonderful aromas and tastes, and the fresh scents to many of our household cleaning products. They include pinenes (pine scent) and nootkatone (distinctive grapefruit taste) (Fig. 10.1). These are some of the obvious ways we have taken advantage of these compounds. Biologically, they are immensely important compounds in plants, fungi, bacteria, and insects, which provide unique means for these organisms to sense and interact with their environment, as well as to serve as internal signals coordinating developmental programs. Two recent examples from the literature help to illustrate this point.
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