Final answer:
Alkaloids and glucosides are secondary plant compounds with medicinal properties. Alkaloids contain amine functional groups and are used in modern medicine. These compounds originally extracted from plants are foundational to the pharmaceutical industry.
Step-by-step explanation:
Chemicals such as alkaloids and glucosides that give plants their healing properties are known as secondary plant compounds. These substances are not primarily involved in the basic metabolism of the plant but serve as chemical defenses against pests. Alkaloids are especially known for their medicinal properties, as they contain cyclic molecules with an amine functional group, which in many cases, contribute to profound physiological and psychotropic effects in humans. Examples of such effects can be seen with drugs like nicotine, morphine, codeine, and heroin. When it comes to extraction, these bases (aryl amines) can react with H3O+ in a dilute acid to form an ammonium salt, which makes it easier for them to be isolated from the plant mass.
Plants have long been a source of pharmaceutical compounds. Substances derived from plants like aspirin, codeine, digoxin, and atropine have had a significant impact on modern medicine. At one time, an estimated 25 percent of modern drugs contained at least one plant extract, a figure that has likely fallen as synthetic versions of these compounds are developed. Nonetheless, these plant-based compounds remain foundational to drug development and medical treatments.