Visual Representations of Organization Theory Essay

Visual Representations of Organization Theory - Essay Example As quoted by Morgan, ‘communications theorist Marshall McLuhan noted that the last thing a fish is likely to discover is the water it is swimming in. The water is so fundamental to the fish’s way of life that it is not seen or questioned.’ (2006). Through this Morgan directs our attention to the concept of trap of favored ways of thinking. The fundamental role played by water to the fish analogues many mechanisms, ideologies, concepts upon which organizations are formed. Just the way, water is the world for a fish, and a fish cannot live out of water, so do organizations behave very often. Organizations tend to adopt certain culture, mechanisms, tools and practices which eventually become the fundamentals of the organization and its goals. These features reflect in the motivational aspects of the organization too which forces the employees to work in that direction ‘only,’ thus blocking creativity and other hidden business potential. In this course, o rganizations tend to adopt a kind of language, called as the organizational language which becomes the key factor of organizational growth as communication is vital for any organization’s success. Morgan relates this situation to the psychic-prison metaphor relating it to the trap of favored ways of thinking, and provides guidance to unleash hidden power and creativity. The trap of favored ways of thinking leads to closure of other avenues and opportunities, eventually leading to the situation of work becoming more of a norm or ritual and loss of innovation and creativity. In the process of favored ways of thinking, we tend to see only those things are familiar to us, and tend to ignore the rest. Though existence of creativity may not be the determining factor of any business, it can eventually turn so and, thus, lack of creativity has to be noticed. When the suppression of logic of what is significant is imposed by organizational control, this

The development and future of the Sukuk in Saudi Arabia financial Essay

The development and future of the Sukuk in Saudi Arabia financial services - Essay Example n the global markets This chapter aims to provide a through insight into the research that has been conducted regarding regulation and securitization involving Sukuk. The chapter aims to elaborate the structure of the Sukuk markets and the processes that go into issuing Sukuk and summarize. The global perspective on Sukuk has been thoroughly-researched in the past few years and this has helped us considerably in conducting the present study. Moreover, previous researchers have provided a convergent viewpoint regarding the growth of Sukuk in Muslim as well as non-Muslim countries. A number of definitions of Sukuk have been proposed by researchers and scholars. Sukuk can be regarded as a product of Islamic banking that allows the creation of a system of investment that results in profits for the investor and at the same time aims to comply with the Islamic ban on usury. According to the definition proposed by the Academy of International Modern Studies (2009), Sukuk are referred to as trust certificates or as participation securities1. Sukuk are considered to be ideal tools for the management of liquidity. In general terms, Sukuk could be defined as a structure of Islamic banking that provides assets to the investor with a cash flow2. The word Sukuk is an Arabic word which is a plural of the word sak which refers to any financial certificate. The word Sak is a cognate of the English word Cheque. Sukuk are implemented by following a process of securitization which aims to meet the standards of Islamic financing required by the Shariah and by the national laws of Islamic financing. Another definition that sheds light on the issue of profit and risk taking in the issuing of Sukuk had been proposed by Tan Wan Yean (2009) in his research on Islamic banking quotes the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI) definition of Sukuk: â€Å"†¦ certificates of equal value representing, after closing subscription, receipt of the value of

Emanuel Medical Center Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Emanuel Medical Center - Case Study Example EMC’s Service Area incorporated the wide city of Turlock and the smaller towns in its periphery. Out of eighty percent of EMC’s patients were residents of the primary service area, sixty-four percent came from Turlock. The twelve small towns in the Turlock’s periphery were EMC’s secondary service area and were within five and fifteen miles from EMC. The secondary service area provided fourteen percent of all ECM’s patients. Residents from without EMC’s primary and secondary service area made up the remaining six percent of EMC’s patients. EMC had a mixed customer base comprising of cultural diversity and patients of different ages. In 1999, EMC recorded that 40.1 of its patients were 65 years and older, patients between 15 and 44 years of age formed 33.2 percent, and the 14-year olds and younger formed 10.2 percent. Hispanics were 32.5 percent of EMC’s patient population and were the fastest growing segment of emergency departme nt admissions. In 2002, the population of EMC’s primary service area was about 200,000 that was a nineteen percent increase from its population of about 168,000 in 1998. A big proportion of EMC’s patient population was baby boomers (Fisher, 2009). There are many hospitals and surgical outpatient clinics within 50 miles of Turlock that compete for patients’ loyalty. Kaiser Permanente’s contract with Memorial Medical Centre of Modesto is one of the large HMOs that provide EMC with insurance-covered patients. HMOs add to EMC’s market advantage because they provide it with this section of the patient population. However, the proximity of EMC’s competitors accelerates the fight for patients.

Research countering the student-teacher ratio effect Essay Example for Free

Research countering the student-teacher ratio effect Essay Graddy and Steven (2005) examines several studies of secondary school performances throughout the U. K. and concluded that there is little to no effect of the student-teacher ratio on the achievement of students. Borland, Howsen Trawick (2005) also found no noticeable connection between student achievement and either reduced or enlarged class sizes. The Congressional Budget Office presented results and analysis of 1986 SAT scores. Analysis revealed a relationship between student performance and student-teacher ratios. Lower student-teacher ratios were consistent with lower SAT scores (as cited in Hanushek, 2000). School size, which is another important consideration that also affects the student-teacher ratio, does not demonstrate an effect on student performance either, according to Lamdin (1995). There is also very little long-term effect of student-teacher ratio on student performance and lifelong achievement. Though Vignoles (1998) found a slight correlation between student-teacher ratio and student performance on O Levels exams in the United Kingdom, the observed effect was so small as to be insignificant. In fact he argues that true effect on student achievement is actually non-existent. This conclusion is based on the finding that the effect of a lower student-teacher ratio was not reflected in later years on the job market and in terms of earnings 17 years later. True achievement, he argues, is measured not by the standard of achievement tests, but by later success in life. He safely concludes therefore that there is no true effect of class size on student accomplishments. Schweitzer (1991) suggests that moves by institutions to decrease the pupil-teacher ratio are counterproductive and will only result in additional government spending with little effect on student performance. He believes that the old-fashioned method of â€Å"hard work on the part of the student, good teaching by the faculty, and strong motivation by both† (Schweitzer, 1991, p. 297) are the key ingredients to improved student achievement. Thus, as Gursky (1998) surmises, there is very little magic to class size or student-teacher ratio. Some researchers have proposed that the optimal size for any classroom is between 15 and 17 students. What the research is confirming is that there is presently very little in the way of consensus on the issue of whether or not reduced student-teacher ratios result in improved student performance. In the comprehensive review conducted by Hanushek (2000), 14% of the researches showed that there was a positive relationship between increased student-teacher ratio and a similar 14% found the opposite association. The remaining 72% found the relationship to be too insignificant to matter (p. 5). It is fallacious to suppose that all factors that may impact student performance can be isolated and controlled in order to discover a causal relationship between the variables of lower or higher student-teacher ratios and higher student performance. As researchers such as Hanushek (2000) and Preece (1987) would argue, there are a myriad of home-environmental and societal factors over which the state or school have very little control but which may impact student performance in either direction regardless of existing student-teacher ratios. Without a doubt the family background from which the students come plays a significant role in impacting achievement. Dustmann et al. (2003) proposes that the financial resources of the family, the quality time parents spend with children, the size of the family, a child’s birth order and the interest the parent shows in the child’s performance are important in analyzing factors that influence success in school. The socioeconomic context and location in which the child resides could also be a constraining factor. Preece (1987) adds that another factor, the heterogeneous nature of the classroom could be a significant key in understanding student achievement. He proposes that more homogeneous classrooms foster a better learning environment for students, regardless of class size or student-teacher ratios. Research has not proven either side of the debate but has demonstrated the possible merits of both. Educators seem determined, despite the lack of evidence to support the claim, to reduce the student-teacher ratios in an effort to impact student achievement. These educators are not completely misguided in their position however. It is a combination of factors too complicated to isolate that determines the how well each student achieves individually. Reduced class sizes have not proven to be harmful to any significant extent and thus existing policies to continue to reduce the student-teacher ratios cannot possibly do any notable amount of harm. ferences Alspaugh, J. W. (1994, Summer). The relationship between school size, student teacher ratio and school efficiency. Education, 114(4), 593-601. Borland, M. V., Howsen, R. M. Trawick, M. W. (2005, Mar). An investigation of the effect of class size on student academic achievement. Education Economics, 13(1), 73-83. Colorado Association of School Boards, Colorado Association of School Executives Colorado Education Association. (n. d. ). Believe in a better Colorado. Retrieved November 19, 2007, from http://www. believeinabettercolorado. org/images Dustmann, C. , Rajah, N. van Soest, A. (2003, Feb). Class size, education, and wages. Economic Journal, 113(485), F99-F149. Ehrenberg, R. G. , Brewer, D. J. , Gamoran, A. Willms, J. D. (2001, Nov). Does class size matter? Scientific American, 285(5), 78-85. Graddy, K. Stevens, M. (2005, Apr). The impact of school resources on student performance: A study of private schools in the United Kingdom. Industrial Labor Relations Review, 58(3), 435-451. Gursky, D. (1998, Oct). Class size does matter. Education Digest, 64(2), 15-18. Hanushek, E. A. (2000, Aug). Evidence, politics, and the class size debate. Retrieved November 19, 2007, from http://www. utdallas. edu/research/tsp/pdfpapers/paper19. PDF Lamdin, D. J. (1995, Apr). Testing for the effect of school size on student achievement within a school district. Education Economics, 3(1), 33-42. Morisi, T. L. (1994, Jul). Employment in public schools and the student-to-employee ratio. Monthly Labor Review, 117(7), 40-44. National Center for Education Statistics. (2001, Sep). Elementary and secondary school enrollment. Education Statistics Quarterly, 2(2). Retreived November 19, 2007 from, http://nces. ed. gov/programs/quarterly/Vol_2/2_2/q3-3. asp Preece, P. F. (1987, Jul/Aug). Class size and learning: A theoretical model. Journal of Educational Research, 80(6), 377-379. Sable J. Garofano, A. (2007, Jun). Public elementary and secondary school student enrollment, high school completions, and staff from the common core of data: School year 2005-06. Retrieved November 19, 2007, from, http://nces. ed. gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo. asp Schweitzer, T. T. (1991, Summer). Collective bargaining, teachers, and student achievement: Comment. Journal of Labor Research, 12(3), 297-298. Vignoles, A. (1998, May). Raising standards in our schools: Does class size really matter? Economic Outlook, 22(3), 18-23.

Cause and Effect of Religiosity on Life Satisfaction

Cause and Effect of Religiosity on Life Satisfaction The Cause and Effect of Religiosity on the Life Satisfaction and Psychological Wellbeing Rehmatullah Mirzaali Religiosity can be defined as â€Å"the term religiosity is derived from the word religion and it refers to numerous characteristics of religious behavior’s as well as fidelity and faith of an individual† (Khan, subhani Ara, June, 2013). This is while life satisfaction is usually explained as a critical process in which an individual assess the quality of their lives based on their own standard (shin Johnson, 1978). The purpose of this paper is to discuss the religion as a basic motivating force in the life of an individual that helps people to avoid the evil and practice decency which is directly associated with the mental health and physical status of the people (paragment hill, 2003). By looking in to today’s Islamic world we come across different criminalization, rape victims, injustice, honor killings, leading to a lot of negative outcomes involving depression, suicide, anxiety and other mortalities which is against the essence of Islam that teaches us pe ace and safety. Thus, in order to understand the true essence of Islam, which only gives us the message of peace, we must focus on some of the teachings of great theologian philosopher as Nasir khusraw who is well renowned and has major influence on the Ismaili Muslim communities of Iran, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan. He has given some of the answer to some of the major issues of his time related to the religion and life satisfaction. In this paper, I am going to focus only on the Islam religion and its true essence and in the light of teachings of Nasir khusraw and its effect on mental health. I am very happy to start my paper mentioning what the Pakistan journal of psychology stated about the true essence of Islam. The journal explained that the result or the outcome of the research showed that out of religious involvement, influence and hope only religious influence had an impact on life satisfaction and it could have been different if the people were more focused on the true essence of Islam rather than the formalities and practices only. The journal further emphasized that people faith should be dependent on the questioning and logical reasoning to be strong in their faith and making them as a part of their true nature by incorporating them in the attitude and behavior which will make them more likely able to avoid things like jealousy, desire, pride, habitual greed and instead practice love, forgiveness, and respect towards others which shows the association between the mental and physical health. in order to understand some logical questioning and reasoning related t o the true essence of Islam we will look in to the logical reasons given by the an Ismaili poet and theoligist Nasir Khusrow to the people of its time so that they remain strong in their faith and can adhere to a sense of ultimate purpose and meaning even when life events are disturbing. Some group of people challenged Nasir khusrow (1998) that in order to believe in divine power and in ultimate purpose of God they questioned about the responsibility and freewill of the human being that â€Å"whether man is determined or free in what he does: If he is determined then God in which case, why does punishment become necessary? If he is free then can he do something which God does not like? Thus necessitating that he prevails over God?†( p.113). In reply of their query, Nasir khusrow said that this query was already asked from Imam Jafar al sadiq in his time in which he replied that â€Å"God is more just than to determine someone to disobey him and then punish him for it† (p.113). Then they asked him if the man is free to do what he wants? In reply he said that â€Å"Gods power is greater than ones transgressions in his kingdom† (p.113). In addition, they asked that what position does the man hold in this world, he said that man is in between the two positions in which he is neither determined nor free and farther he explained that the status of man is in between the animal and angel because mankind have both the carnal soul which is related to the physical especially sexual needs and activities as well as the angel soul which is related to the spiritual being. In case of the angel soul it cannot deliberately disobey and in case of animal soul it cannot deliberately obey because these two souls are already decided in their essence while mankind whose position is in between the two that’s why they are honored for being obedient and punished for being disobedience as in Quran, al mudathir, 74:38 it is mentioned that â€Å"every soul is held in pledge for its deeds†. Why mankind is entitled with the title of â€Å"Ashraf –ul makhluqat†? Because God has given mankind the insightful intellect which can differentiate the ugly from the fair and he has also blessed human beings with a sense of shame and humi lity which does not allow the mankind to act as animals do and we are not as free as animals due to the attribute of shame and modesty now as we know that man’s position is in between the two, the rational soul which is already determined in its nature to do good and the carnal soul which is free and not determined. So good and evil, wright and wrong is in our hand and there is no compulsion from God for the mankind in its religion because as we already mentioned that Islam is a religion of peace not of compulsion and force. As in Quran, Al Baqarah, 2:256† it is mentioned that â€Å"let there be no compulsion in religion. Truth stands out clear from error; whoever rejects evil and believes in God has grasped the most trustworthy hand-hold that never breaks. And God hears and knows all things†. Similarly, I remember that one of my teachers used to say about Hafiz shirazi a Persian poet, and I am quoting him, that: (The whole universe is summed up in the human bein g; devil is not a monster waiting to trap us. He is a voice inside. Look for your devil in yourself not in others. Don’t forget that the one, who knows his devil, knows his God). Further those doubters asked Nasir khusrow that â€Å"what’s the purpose of being here. What’s the cause of man’s indeterminate state between the animality and angelicity and what is the meaning of Iqab (punishment) and how should it be known, explain† (p.98). In reply Nasir khusrow replied that the reason why the mankind is indeterminate in its state is that their souls are uneducated and in order to gain knowledge they are given organs like eyes, hears, heart, and tongue by which knowledge can be attained and understood and internalizing it in their souls so that at last when souls leaves the body the soul must be able to return to his origin where soul was sent to cultivate knowledge so that the soul can find its way back to its origin. To make it more simple, Nasir khusrow further elaborated with an example of a landowner, farmer, farm and the agricultural instrument. He said that the universal soul is the land owner; farmer is the man; farm is the mat erial world; the instrument of the farm are your eyes, mouth, and other organs helping you in cultivating the seed; and, the seed is your intellect. Thus, you have to cultivate your intellect wisely in this world. The land owner has sent the farmer to the farm to cultivate the farm and not sit foolishly. The harness of the oxen is his body together with the animal soul. A wise sensible man would learn and acquire knowledge by using his instruments (organs) given to him as a gift in this world so that when he returns to the landowner he must have something to give back to the landowner as for the farmer and must please his landowner. Therefore we are all here for a purpose and we have to understand that before returning back to our origin we must gain and understand what we are sent for. Otherwise we will be failed in our mission. As God says to the ignorant and bad fortune people that â€Å"and indeed you have come to us alone as we created you at first and you have left behind wha t we bestowed on you†(6:95). So, if man does not use his instrument (organs) in this world according to the commands of God and his prophet he would remain puzzled and distressed when his soul leaves his body and there would be no any instrument to cultivate the intellect so he would be in agony as God says that â€Å"if you do good, you do good for your own selves and if you do evil, it’s against your own selves† (17:7). As for the word Iqab (punishment) it has already been discussed that whoever remains behind humanity the purpose of which is to be wise and act according to the commands of God and his prophet but instead chooses the carnal soul which is the animal soul and remains behind from reaching his origin that is his punishment being in the fire of ether. Now focusing on the act and commands of prophets we come to know that they lived very simply avoiding this world and evil practices instead focusing on their spirituality as Hazrat Ali bin abi talib son in law and cousin of the prophet who is described as the gate to city of knowledge by hazrat Muhammad (p.b.u.h) himself and who is the single most important intellectual authority in Islam according to the book justice and remembrance by Reza shah kazemi has quoted sayings of hazrat Ali that â€Å"By God this world of yours is more contemptible in my eyes than a chewed up bone of a pig in the hand of a leper†( p. 53). Further Hazrat Ali said that â€Å"the world is as worthless to me as that which drips from the nose of a goat† (p.53). keeping in mind that the causes which the holy prophets and a man who is known as the gate to the city of knowledge condemns this world and gives no importance why would its followers waste time on doing something against the teachings of their prophet and spiritual leaders. This is how Islam and its spiritual leaders has thought the people to follow instead of getting involved in crimes and other greedy things which leads to criminalization and further leads to a lot of unhealthy issues related to health as mentioned before that by chasing spiritual growth you are more likely to avoid evil doing and involve in behavior’s showing love, respect, compassion, and forgiveness which is directly associated with the mental and physical health status. However, in American sociological review by Durkheim (1951) and Simmel (1997) they have mentioned social dimension as the essence of religion because involvement in religious activities with the same minded people gives them a sense of friendship and social interaction to help each other. As all religions teach the same philosophy of compassion, love, and respect, therefore we can say that the effect of every religiosity would be the same. This is when people internalizes it in their behavior and lives it rather than showing, then the effect would definitely be stronger in mental health than physical health as Koenig (2012) explained that the relationship between the religiosity and mental health is stronger than physical health because it encompasses psychological, social and behavioral aspect which is related to the mental health. Furthermore, Ahmed M Abdel Khalek (2013) after doing his research he concluded that, there is a possibility of treating anxiety depression in Muslim clients using the psychotherapeutic religious involvement, because religion has high importance in the society. As we saw when we visited the Karachi psychiatric hospital they also used this religious involvement method to help patients of drug addicts. Concluding this paper, again I remember one of my teachers mentioned this and I quote that â€Å"your soul is the king of your body, your mind the scribe, your intellect the vizier (Divan, 91:15; Ruby of badakshan, 214).that your intellect controls your soul and your soul controls your body but the intellect is developed through knowledge. We must control our mind to have a control in our lives and we must internalize the knowledge in our nature to be free of desires and evils which has direct relation with mental health. it is clear from above teachings that Islam is a complete way of life which leads our lives in a healthy and prosperous way if we tend to act according to the teachings of Islam and and its holy prophets . Similarly, every religion has its significant impact on the mental health of its people in a positive way because they all teach peace and prosperity. References KHUSRAW, N. (1998). GUSHAYISH WA RAHAYISH (F.M. HUNZAI, Trans.). LONDON NEWYORK: I.B.Tauris co ltd victoria house bloomsburry square London WC1B 4DZ. (Original work published 1998). Khan, B., Subhani, B., Ara, A. (2013). RELIGIOSITY AND LIFE SATISFACTION.  Pakistan Journal of Psychology,  44(1). KAZEMI, R.S. (2006). JUSTICE AND REMEMBRANCE. London New York, U.S: I.B. Tauris co ltd. Koenig, H. G. (2012). Religion, spirituality, and health: The research and clinical implications.  International Scholarly Research Notices,  2012. Hill, P. C., Pargament, K. I. (2008). Advances in the conceptualization and measurement of religion and spirituality: Implications for physical and mental health research. Lim, C., Putnam, R. D. (2010). Religion, social networks, and life satisfaction.  American Sociological Review,  75(6), 914-933. Abdel-Khalek, A. M. (2013). Religiosity, health and happiness: Significant relations in adolescents from Qatar.  International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 0020764013511792.

The Death Penalty Is Morally Unjustified Essay -- anti capital punishm

The earliest historical record of the death penalty otherwise known as capital punishment goes back as far as the eighteenth century B.C., when the code of King Hammurabi of Babylon listed 25 crimes which were punishable by death. Since then, the uses of the death penalty have prevailed throughout the ages in laws and justice systems of different civilizations. For instance, the Draconian Code of Athens punishes all crimes with the death penalty. During those times, the death penalty involved suffering a gruesome death such as being burnt alive, impaling, crucifixion and stoning (Death Penalty Information Center, 2011). In America, capital punishment was first implemented with the arrival of early European settlers as a form of punishment for various serious crimes. Although the scope of crime punishable by death penalty differs among the states, many states used to follow the British codes of conduct which declares 13 crimes to be punishable by the death penalty (Information Plus, 1995, â€Å"Capital punishment: cruel and unusual?†). Currently, death penalty has been abolished in many countries except for roughly 25 countries which carried out execution in year 2009 (antideathpealty.org, 2011). In America as of year 2011, the death penalty has been abolished in 4 states, leaving 34 other states still practicing it. However, the number of executions and death sentence has decreased tremendously over the years. (Dieter, 2011) With the European Union and the Human Right Watch pressing for the abolishment of death penalty, there is much disparity and debate among the citizens of the United States of America on whether the death penalty should be continued or abolished. For the advocates of the death penalty, they champion death ... ...://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/documents/StruckByLightning.pdf> Information Plus, (1995), ‘Capital Punishment: Cruel And Unusual?’, in Braid, R.M. and Rosenbaum, S.E., Punishment And The Death Penalty, 1st edition, Prometheus Books, New York, pg.103-110. Morgan, E. (2011), ‘The Death Penalty Does Not Deliver Justice’, in Friedman, L.S., The Death Penalty, Thomson Gale, Farmington Hills, pg.52-63 Reiman, J.F. (1995), ‘Reiman: Answering Van Den Haag’, in Baird, R.M. and Rosenbaum, S.E., Punishment And The Death Penalty: The Current Debate, Prometheus Books, New York, pg. 175-205 Sheffer, S. (2006), ‘The Death Penalty is Unjust’ in Friedman, L.S., The Death Penalty, Thomson Gale, Farmington Hills, pg. 25-31. Trumbach, T. (2011), ‘The Death Penalty Does Not Violate Human Rights’ in Friedman, L.S., The Death Penalty, Thomson Gale, Farmington Hills, pg.79-83

Alkaloids Case Study Essay

Alkaloids are the most diverse group of secondary metabolites and over 5000 compounds are known. They are most commonly encountered in the plant kingdom, but representatives have been isolated from most other orders of organisms ranging from fungi to mammals. For years, there has been interest in their pharmacological activities, and for a long time selected plant products (containing alkaloids) have been used as poisons for hunting, murder, euthanasia, a euphoriants, psychedelics, and stimulants (e.g. morphine and cocaine) or as medicines (e.g. ephedrine). Many of our modern drugs now contain the same compound or synthetic analogues, and the pharmacological and toxicological properties of these compounds are thus of immense interest and importance. Almost two centuries have elapsed since Serturner isolated the first organic base clearly recognised as such, a crystalline substance that he obtained from the opium poppy, Papaver somniferum, and called morphine. The name alkaloid is applied to the members of a class of natural products of basic nature, and is derived from the name â€Å"vegetable alkali† first applied to these substances. They all owe their basic nature to an amino nitrogen. It is more difficult than at first might be supposed to define the term alkaloid. The work was coined in 1818 by Meissner and implies a compound similar to an alkali, referring to the basic properties of this class of substance. Meyer’s Konversations- Lexikon of 1896 states, â€Å"Alkaloids (plant bases) occur characteristically in plants and are frequently distinguished by their remarkable physiological activity. They contain carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen and in most cases oxygen as well; in many cases they resemble the alkalisà ¢â‚¬ . Modern dictionary definitions only differ in minor details from those of the older nontechnical literature. A definition due to Pelletier in 1982 includes cyclic nitrogen- containing molecules which are true secondary metabolites (i.e. of limited occurrence and produced by living organisms. Simple acyclic derivatives of ammonia and simple amines are thus excluded, and the additional requirement, that the nitrogen atom must have a negative oxidation state, excludes nitro and nitroso compounds. As for other natural products, no uniform system of nomenclature has so far been devised for alkaloids. In most cases the name of the alkaloid has been derived from the plant name. Thus, papaverine was called after the Papaver species from which it was isolated. The names cocaine (from Erythoxylum coca) and atropine (from Atropa belladonna) are other examples. Frequently several alkaloids are obtained from the same plant, and the names devised for them will depend on the inspiration of the natural products chemist who isolated them. Alkaloids as a class have interested organic chemists partly on account of their physiological action on the animal organism, and partly on account of the complex structural and synthetical puzzles that they pose. The chemistry of the alkaloids is but a branch of the wide chemistry of nitrogenous heterocyclic compounds, but the methods by which the structures of individual bases are deduced from degradative evidence and confirmed by total synthesis are typical of the methods applied for these purposes whole field the chemistry of natural products are illustrative of the general fundamental principles of organic chemistry. Structural types Alkaloids are usually classified according to the amino acids (or their derivatives) from which they arise. Thus, the most important classes are derived from the following Amino acids: * Ornithine and Lysine * Aromatic amino acid phenylalanine and tyrosine * Tryptophan and a moiety of mevalonoid origin Also a number of compounds are also derived from: * Anthranilic acid * Nicotinic acid This classification however, fails to include the alkaloids derived from a polyketide or a terpenoid, with the incorporation of a nitrogen atom, ultimately from ammonia. Examples are Conine and batrachotoxin which are often known as ‘pseudoalkaloids’. Other compounds covered by Pelletier’s definition also exist. Examples are the antibiotic cycloserine, mitomycin C, mushroom toxin muscimol and the purine alkaloids such as caffeine. There is another classification of the alkaloids according to the location of the nitrogen atom in certain structural features: 1. Heterocyclic alkaloids 2. Alkaloids with exocyclic nitrogen and aliphatic amines 3. Putrescine, spermidine and spermine alkaloids 4. Peptide alkaloids 5. Terpene and steroidal alkaloids Classifying the whole range of alkaloids according to this system result in them being dividing them up unequally as the great majority fall into the heterocyclis group and the smallest group is the putrescine, spermidine and spermine alkaloids. Occurrence Of the more than 5000 alkaloids known, most occur in flowering plants, although the distribution is far from uniform. Thus, although 40% of all plant families have at least one species containing alkaloids, when the 10000 plant genera are considered, only about 9% of these have been shown to produce alkaloids. Increasing numbers of alkaloids have been isolated from animals, insects, and microorganisms. Although mammalian alkaloids are rare, two examples are (-)-castoramine (a) from the Canadian beaver; and muscopyridine (b) from the musk deer. Both compound have a role in communication as territorial marker substances. Insects produce a variety of structural types which include the 2,6- dialkylpiperidines of the fire ant (c), the tricyclic N-oxides of the ladybird (d) and the quinazolines of the European milliped (e). Tese compounds are used for defence. During the last three decades Marine organisms have been investigated. Amongst the alkaloids are the exceedingly complex Saxitoxin (f) produced by a red coloured dinoflagellate. The ‘red tides’ contain mass aggregations of such organisms, and food poisoning when he toxic alkaloids are passed along the food chain to man. The Japanese puffer fish is highly valued as a culinary delicacy, but it is hazardous because its liver and ovaries contain the highly toxic tetrodotoxin. Fungi also produce alkaloids, and these too, present potential hazards as food contaminants. The ergot alkaloids, for example, Chanoclavine (g) produced by the fungus Claviceps purpurea, were a frequent soure of misery and death during the Middle Ages through the contamination of rye bread. Some of these were neurotoxic whilst others caused vasocontriction. During the last 40 years most of these non plant alkaloids have been isolated and their structures elucidated. The introduction of modern chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques facilitated this. Isolation Work on the constitution of alkaloids is often prefaced by the problem of their isolation from plant material or from residues after commercially important constituents have been removed. The isolation of each alkaloid is an individual problem there are a variety of procedures which may be entitled to generic rank. There are few plants which produce a single alkaloid so the main problem is the separation of mixtures. Many alkaloids are basic and occur as salts of 2-hydroxybutane-1, 4-dioic acid (malic acid), or of 1,3,4,5-tetrahydroxycyclohexane (quinic acid). They can thus be extracted into acid solution using aqueous hydrochloric, tartaric, or citric acids. Neutral alkaloids such as colchicines or piperine, which are in fact amides, remain in the organic phase, whilst most other alkaloids are isolated after basification and extraction into ethyl acetate. Steam distillation can be used also be used with low molecular weight alkaloids; but almost invariably sudsequent purification of the crude alkaloid mixtures is effected by chromatography using silica or alumina, and then recrystallisation of the partially purified compounds from solvent systems like aqueous ethanol, methanol/chloroform, or methanol/acetone. Structure elucidation Classical era: The classical era for structural studies on alkaloids was the 19th Century, though this could be extended to the 1930’s (advent of x-ray crystallography) or even to the 1970’s (advent of high resolution NMR facilities and modern methods of mass spectroscopy. Two case histories will be discussed, those of morphine and atropine. Opium has been used by man for thousands of years, so it is not suprising that the major active ingedient, morphine, was the first alkaloid to be isolated in pure state (by Serturner in 1805). It was not until 1923 that Sir Robert Robinson established the stucture of morphine. Chemical evidence for the structure is as follows: Standard showed that the nitrogen atom was fully substituted, and that the phenolic hydroxyl was present as it gave a positive FeCl3 test. Two hydoxyls were present as a diacetate and dibenzoate could be formed. Both compounds contained one olefinic double bond as codeine absorbed one. It was found that a reduced phenanthrene with a two-carbon bridge containing a tertiary nitrogen atom (with methyl as on substituent) was present, and the structure of morphine and codeine were first proposed in 1923 and 1925 respectively by Robinson and Gulland. Synthesis of morphine was carried out in 1956 by Gates. Atropine on the other hand, is not generally a natural product but arises through racemisation of (-)-hyoscyamine (see (a) below) and purification, and is thus ( )-hyoscyamine. (-)-hyoscyamine is the most common tropane alkaloid. In 1833 atropine was isolated from Atropa belladonna. Hydrolysis with warm barium hydroxide solution produced racemic tropic acid and tropine. Degradative studies and then through synthesis found the structure of tropic acid: Exhaustive degradation of tropine, carried out by Willstlter between 1985 and 1901, provided evidence for the bicyclic structure of tropine. The most widely used process in degradative studies of alaloids is exhaustive methylation, known as Hofmann degradeation. . This involves the pyrolysis of a quaternary ammonium hydroxide to form and olefin an a tertiary base: To ensure the complete removal of the nitrogen atom when it constitutes part of a ring, two degrdations must be carried out. When exhaustive methylation of of cyclic compounds might be expected to give 1,4-dienes, the alkaline conditions of the reaction may result in the migration of one of the double bonds to give a 1,3-diene. For example, the exhaustive methylation of N-methylpiperidine gives 1,3-pentadiene (piperylene) and not 1,4-pentadiene. The diene is then easily hydrogenated to form a saturated hydrocarbon. If Hofmann degradation fails to bring about ring fission of cyclic amines, Emde degradation, invoving catalytic reduction of a quaternary salt by sodium amalgam or sodium in liquid ammonia, may be applied. For example, attempted Hofmann degradation of N-methyltetrahydroquinoline methoxide results in regeneration of the parent base, while Emde reduction with sodium amalgam affords the ring-opened amine. Alkaloids containing diphenyl ether linkages, for example, bis-benzylisoquinoline, are cleaved into two fragments by reduction with sodium in liquid ammonia. For example, the structure of the alkaloid dauricine was established by reductive cleavage of O-methyl-dauricine. Modern era: During the last 30 years, structure elucidation has benn facilitated by the use of mass spectroscopy, and 1H and 13C NMR techniques. It is now possible to determine the structure in days with a few milligrams or less of pure compound. It took 118 years to determine the structure of morphine. The mass spectrum data for morphine is highly informative and is shown below and would have helped enormously years ago. Once the structure of an alkaloid is known, partial or total synthesis can be attempted. Biosynthesis It is possible to determine the amino acid from which an alkaloid is derived just by looking at the structure. Before availability of radio-isotopes 14C and tritium, and more recently the stable isotopes 13C and 15N it was only possible to speculate about the likely biosynthetic pathways. This was sometimes successful as for example, the suggested pathway to the isoquinoline alkaloid is as follows: It is possible to divide the biosynthesis of the alkaloids into two categories according to whether products are obtained from the amino acids ornithine and lysine, or the aromatic amino acids phenylalanine, tyrosine, tryptophan. Alkaloids derived from ornithine and lysine: Pyrrolidine alkaloids – hygrine, cocaine, tropinone, hyoscyamine etc Piperidine alkaoids – piperine, (-)-lobeline etc Quinolizidine alkaloids – sparteine, cytosine, (-)-lupinine etc Pyridine alkaloids – nicotine, anabasine, anatabine etc Alkaloids derived from phenylalanine and tyrosine: Monocyclic compounds – hordenine etc Tetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloids – morphine, codeine, thebaine, noscapine (narcotine), papaverine, heroin etc Alkaloids derived from tryptophan: Simple indole derivatives: psilocybin, dimethyltryptamine, physostigmine etc Complex indole derivatives : harmaline, echinulin, ergonovine etc No class of naturally occurring organic substances shows such an enormous range of structures as the alkaloids with over 5000 known. It would be impossible to discuss each one of these within the time limit. Therefore, this project is concerned with the following alkaloids: Morphine ( including codeine and heroin), Cocaine, Nicotine and Caffeine (including theophylline). These alkaloids are present in enormous quantities in the world and seem appropriate to be discussed due to the current interest in their effects particularly when used illegally. They are some of the most well known alkaloids. Morphine (Codeine and Heroin) When the unripe seed capsules of the opium poppy, Papaver somniferum, is cut or pricked, a viscous liquid is exuded. After the exudates dries and darkens with exposure to air, a hard but still partly sticky mass is obtained. This is opium, which has been used for many centuries by some for medicinal purposes. Opium is important as a painkilling drug in its own right, but is also the source of other analgesic drugs such as morphine and heroin. Mankind had discovered the use of opium by the time of the earliest written records. In fact, the first recorded use of opium as a painkiller was around 6000 years ago by the Sumerians, and the Babylonian and Egyptian writings contain many references to the value of opium preparations for the relief of pain. Thomas Sydenham, the 17th Century pioneer of English medicine wrote, â€Å"Among the remedies which it has pleased Almighty God to give to man to relieve its sufferings, none is so universal and so efficacious as opium†. Nowadays, alt hough opium is no longer regareded as a universal analgesic, it is still a very important source of morphine. The pharmacologically active constituents of opium have been employed in medicine for many thousand of years. During the 19th century these constituents were isolated as pure chemical entities. Morphine is a naturally occurring substance and is the major constituent of opium, constituting about 10% (sometimes up to 20%) of its weight. Morphine was first isolated in 1805 by Friedrich Sertrner. However, its basic structure was not correctly determined until 120 years later. Morphine provides symptomatic relief of moderately severe to severe pain. Morphine acts as an anesthetic without decreasing consciousness, and it is one of the most powerful analgesics known. However, it also suppresses the repiratory system, and high doses can cause death by respiratory failure. Its analgesic properties are related to the ability of the molecule to fit into and block a specific sit on a nerve cell. This eliminates the action of the pain receptor Cocaine Cocaine is obtained from coca leaves (Erythryloxum coca) and has the formula C17H23O4N and a molecular weight of 303.39. The anaesthetic properties of cocaine were first recognised by Koller in 1882, but it has now been largely replaced in the clinic by synthetic analogues due to its widespread abuse as a narcotic. It is, however, still much used as a stimulant by Andean Indians. After chewing the leaves, they are easily fatigued and can go on for long periods without food. Cocaine is shipped and sold in the form of the water-soluble hydrochloride salt, which may be ingested through the nasal passages by ‘snorting’ orally and intravenously. There are severe physical and psychological side effects of the drug, such as brain seizures, respiratory collapse, heart attack, paranoia, and depression. Cocaine may be hydrolysed by acids or alkalis to methyl alcohol, benzoic acid, and (-)-ecgonine, C9H15O3 N; only partial hydrolysis, to benzoyl- (-)-ecgonine, C16 H19O4 N, and methyl alcohol when the alkaloid is boiled with water. Cocaine can be regarded as being derived from ornithine. Willsttter worked on a tortuous synthesis (of about 20 steps) of tropinone between 1900 and 1903, but in 1917 Robinson reported his ‘one-pot’ synthesis and also provided what was probably the first example of a formal retrosynthetic analysis. He stated: ‘By imaginary hydrolysis at the points indicated by the dotted lines, the substance may be resolved into succinaldehyde, methylamine and acetone’. The yield of this reaction was poor but Schpf and Lehmann reported optimised conditions (buffered solution at pH5 and 25C) which allowed 85% yield. A variety of mechanisms are possible and the one shown below envisages a reaction between the enol form of acetone dicarboxylate and the condensation product from succinaldehyde and methylamine. Willsttter made his own contributions based on this type of chemistry, and completed simple synthesis of tropinone in 1921 and a synthesis of cocaine in 1923. The synthesis of cocaine is as follows: A Robinson- type reaction yielded the expected azabicyclo structure but with a fortuitous axial stereochemistry for the carbomethoxyl group. Racemic cocaine was formed after separation of the diastereoisomeric products on the reduction of the ketone and benzoylation of the mixture of alcohols. An important aspect of Robinson’s route is that it represented the first biomimetic synthesis of an alkaloid. He provided inspiration for others to consider possible biosynthetic pathways, before planning their synthetic routes to alkaloids. Nicotine Nicotine, present in dried tobacco leaves of the plant nicotiana tabacum in 2-8% concentration, is the active ingredient in cigarettes and other tobacco products. The reason tobacco is used by so many people is because it contains this powerful drug nicotine. When tobacco is smoked, nicotine is absorbed by the lungs and quickly moves into the bloodstream, where it is circulated throughout the brain. All of this happens very rapidly. In fact, nicotine reaches the brain within 8 seconds after someone inhales tobacco smoke. Nicotine can also enter the blood stream through the mucous membranes that line the mouth or nose, or even through the skin. Smoking and chewing tobacco have been connected to heart and lung disease and cancer, mainly a result of the presence of carcinogens, carbon monoxide and other toxins. Nicotine affects the entire body. Nicotine acts directly on the heart to change heart rate and blood pressure. It also acts on the nerves that control respiration to change breathing patterns. In high concentration, nicotine is deadly. In fact, one drop of purified nicotine on the tongue will kill a person. It’s so lethal that it has been used as a pesticide for centuries. So why do people smoke? The mode of action of nicotine is complex. Ingestion of the molecule may stimulate or calm the user and it may affect his or her mood, appetite, and cognition. There appears to be little doubt that nicotine is an addictive drug, and the debate about how to regulate its availability is ongoing. Nicotine is part of the pyridine alkaloids and is the chief alkaloid of tobacco. It can therefore be classed as a tobacco alkaloid. Nicotine has the empirical formula C10 H14 N2, a molecular weight of 162.26 and was first observed by Vanquelin in 1809 and isolated 19 years later by Posselt and Reimann. Its structure is as follows: It is a colourless liquid with a boiling point of 246.1-246.2C and is miscible in all proportions with water below 60 and above 210. It is less soluble between these temperatures. When oxidised with chromic acid it yields an amino acid, C6H5O2N, which may be decarboxylated to pyridine–carboxylic acid. Nicotine is therefore a 3-substituted pyridine and that the substituent is a saturated group containing five carbon atoms and one nitrogen atom. The alkaloid forms a crystalline addition compound with zinc chloride, and when this is heated with lime pyridine, pyrrole and methylamine are obtained, suggesting that the structure be as above (1). This was supported by the degradation of the alkaloid to N-methylproline (1) to (5) (below), the oxidation of dibromocotinine (6) to nicotinc acid, malonic acid and methylamine (6) to (7). Also, by the reductive hydrolysis of bromocotinine to methylamine and the dihydroxy-acid (8). The structure of nicotine was finally confirmed by synthesis. Three syntheses of nicotine have been recorded. The first was based on the discovery that N-acetylpyrrole is transformed by heat to C-acetylpyrrole shown to be ?-acetylpyrrole. Pictet and Crepieux applied this reaction to N- pyridylpyrrole (3) (below) obtained by the reaction of -aminopyridine1 with mucic acid (2). The compound 31- pyridyl-2-pyrrole (4) was formed. An attempt to methylate the pyrrole nitrogen by heating the potassium derivative with yielded (5) (methiodide of 31- pyridyl-N-methyl-2-pyrrole). Distillation of this with calcium oxide gave nicotyrine (6). Selective hydrogenation of the pyrrole nucleus with a palladium-carbon catalyst converted nicotyrine (6) to nicotine with about a 25% yield. PICTET’S SYNTHESIS: Pictet’s classical synthesis involves two steps at high temperatures, one of which is a rearrangement. It cannot therefore be regarded as unambiguous. However, a second synthesis by Spth and Bretschneider involves no rearrangement at high temperature and are thus structurally specific. SPATH’S SYNTHESIS: (1) (Above) was converted into (2) via electrolytic reduction, which on treatment with potassium and methyl sulphate gave (3) (N-methylpyrrolidone). Ethyl nicotinate was then condensed with (3) in the presence of sodium ethanoate and the resulting -pyridyl-1- -(N1 – methyl-?1- pyrrolidonyl) – ketone (4) was hydrolysed with fuming hydrochloric acid at 130. The derived amino ketone (5) was reduced with zinc and sodium hydroxide to the corresponding alcohol (6), which was converted to nicotine on treatment with hydrogen iodide and potassium hydroxide. A third synthesis of nicotine by Craig was also carried out: CRAIG’S SYNTHESIS: Nicotinonitrile (1) (above) was reacted with ?- ethoxypropylmagnesium bromide. The product of the reaction (2) (3-pyridyl-?-ethoxypropylketone) formed an oxime (3), which was reduced to an amino derivative (4). On heating to 150-155 with 48% hydrobromic acid this was converted to nornicotine (5), which in turn was methylated to nicotine. The pyridine ring in nicotine is derived from nicotine acid, which itself is derived from aspartic acid and glyceraldehyde-3- phosphate: The remaining steps en route to nicotine are shown below: Caffeine The purine system occurs widely in nature. Two purines, adenine and guanine, are constituents of the nucleic acids; adenine is a component of coenzymes I and II, of flavin adenine dinucleotide and of adenosine with 3 distinguished compounds: caffeine, theophylline and theobromine. They are physiologically active constituents of coffee, cocoa, and tea. The compounds have different biochemical effects, and are present in different ratios in different plant sources. These compounds are very similar and differ only by the presence of methyl groups in two positions of chemical structure as shown below: They are easily oxidised to uric acid and other methyluric acids, which are also similar in chemical stucture. CAFFEINE – 1,3,7- trimethylxanthine SOURCES – Coffee, tea, cola nuts, mate, guarana EFFECTS – Stimulant of the central nervous system, cardiac muscle and respiratory system, diuretic, delays fatigue. THEOPHYLLINE – 1,3 – dimethylxanthine SOURCES – Tea EFFECTS – Cardiac stimulant, smooth muscle relaxant, diuretic, vasodilator. THEOBROMINE – 3,7- dimethylxanthine SOURCES – Principle alkaloid of the cocoa bean (1.5-3%), cola nuts and tea. EFFECTS – Diuretic, smooth muscle relaxant, cardiac stimulant, vasodilator. Theophylline has a stronger effect on heart and breathing than caffeine. For this reason it is the drug of choice in home remedies for treating asthma, bronchitis and emphysema. Theophylline found in medicine is made from extracts from coffee or tea. Theobromine is weaker than caffeine and theophylline – has one tenth of the stimulating effect. When isolated in pure form, caffeine is a white crystalline powder that tastes very bitter. Recreationally, it is used to provide a ‘boost in energy’ or a feeling of heightened alterness. It’s often used to stay awake longer. Caffeine inhibits the action of an enzyme, phosphodiesterase, whose job it is to inactive a molecule called cyclic adenosine monophosphate (AMP). Cyclic -AMP is involved in the formation of glucose in the bloodstream. Deactivation of phosphodiesterase by caffeine frees cyclic – AMP to do its job, more glucose appears, and we feel more energetic. Caffeine is an addictive drug. Among its many actions it operates using the same mechanisms that amphetamines, cocaine and heroin use to stimulate the brain. Caffeine’s effects are milder but it is manipulating the same channels and that it is one of the things that give caffeine its addictive qualities. It is one of the most widely used drugs. More than 90% of the population Britain consume it everyday and its long-term effects are of current interest. Purines are usually synthesised by Traube’s method in which a 4, 5 – diaminopyrimidine is treated with formic acid or, better, sodium dithioformate.4, 5- diaminopyrimidines are themselves obtained from 4- aminopyrimidines by nitrosation followed by reduction or via diazonium coupling of activated methylene compounds followed by cyclisation and reduction. Two examples are as follows: Uric acid (an 8-Hydroxypurine) are made using ethyl chloroformate in place of formic acid: Uric acid is then the starting material for other purines: Summary The term alkaloid refers to any Nitrogen containing compound extracted from plants, although the word is used loosely and some compounds of non-plant origin are also commonly known as alkaloids. The name is derived from their characteristic basic properties (alkali-like), which are induced by the lone-pair of electrons on nitrogen. The basic nature of the alkaloids, in conjunction with their particular three-dimensional architecture, gives rise to often-potent physiological activities, e.g. the narcotics morphine and heroin. The laboratory synthesis of an alkaloid can be a challenging problem. The goal nowadays is not only to synthesise the natural product, but also to do so from simple molecules by a short elegant pathway. Such syntheses have practical importance because many alkaloids are desirable drugs. Large amounts of these alkaloids are often difficult to obtain from natural sources. A simple synthesis can provide an alternative supply of such a drug. The 19th century was the heyday for structural studies on the alkaloids and the 20th century was notable for the large number of elegant syntheses that have been accomplished. Virtually all of the major alkaloids have now been synthesised.