Betulin is an abundant, naturally occurring
triterpene. It is commonly isolated from the
bark of
birch trees, hence its name, from ''
betula''. It forms up to 30% of the dry weight of
silver birch bark. It is also found in
birch sap. ''
Inonotus obliquus'' contains betulin.
The compound in the bark gives the tree its white color which appears to protect the tree from
mid-winter overheating by the
sun. As a result, birches are some of the northernmost occurring deciduous trees.
History
Betulin was discovered in
1788 by
German-
Russian chemist
Johann Tobias Lowitz.
Chemistry
Chemically, betulin is a triterpenoid of
lupane structure. It has a pentacyclic ring structure, and hydroxyl groups in positions C3 and C28.
See also
*
Abietic acid
*
Stanol ester
*
Phytosterol
Phytosterols are phytosteroids, similar to cholesterol, that serve as structural components of biological membranes of plants. They encompass plant sterols and stanol ester, stanols. More than 250 sterols and related compounds have been identified ...
s
References
{{Reflist
Triterpenes
Isopropenyl compounds
Pentacyclic compounds
Diols
Primary alcohols
Secondary alcohols
Birch bark
Tree-derived bioactive compounds