Identify the isoprene units in β-carotene (see Figure 26.6). Which carbons are joined by a tail-to-tail link between isoprene units?
FIGURE 26.6
Some representative terpenes and related natural products. Structures are customarily depicted as carbon skeleton formulas when describing compounds of isoprenoid origin.
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Monoterpenes он Menthol peppermint) Citral lemon grass) (eucalyptus) Sesquiterpenes OH OH Farnesol ambrette Abscisic acid (a plant hormone) (celery) Diterpenes он Cembrene ping) Vitamin A (present in mammalian tissue and fish oil; important substance in the chemistry of vision) Triterpenes Squalene (shark liver oil) B-Carotene (present in carrots and other vegetables; enzymes in the body cleave B-carotene to vitamin A)