Question

Consider the following statements
1. A large amount of caffeine is found in coffee seeds
2. Alkaloid present in the tobacco is nicotine
3. Theobromine is the primary alkaloid present in cocoa and chocolate
Which of the statements given are true?
(a) 1 and 2
(b) 2 and 3
(c) 1,2, and 3
(d) none of these

Answer 1

Coffee the alkaloid is used as a psychoactive drug, in nicotine the secondary metabolite present is used as a pharmaceutical drug, and in cocoa and chocolate, they contain a secondary metabolite which is formerly called xantheose.

Complete answer:
When a plant, fungal and microbial cells are analyzed, we can observe some compounds other than primary metabolites. They are called secondary metabolites. Some of the secondary metabolites are alkaloids, flavonoids, rubber, essential oils, antibiotics, colored pigments, scents, gums, spices, etc. they are useful for human welfare and have ecological importance. Secondary metabolites like alkaloids have ecological importance, for example in coffee seeds, caffeine is an important purine alkaloid, in tobacco nicotine is a primary alkaloid and in cocoa and chocolate theobromine is the primary alkaloid which has economic importance.

Additional information:
- Biomolecules including amino acids, sugars, etc. are called metabolites. The presence of all such categories of compounds like hydrogen, carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, sodium, calcium, magnesium, silicon are called primary metabolites.
- Thousands of compounds other than alkaloids, gums, rubber, flavonoids, etc found when a plant, fungal, and the microbial cell is analyzed are called secondary metabolites.
- One of the most common purine alkaloids found largely in the coffee seeds is caffeine but in some species like cocoa and Chinese tea, theobromine is found as the primary alkaloid.
- The chiral alkaloid which is used as a stimulant produced by the nightshade family of plants like tobacco is called nicotine
So, the correct answer is ‘(c) 1, 2, and 3’

Note:
- Nicotine is used as a pharmaceutical drug for the cessation of smoking as a withdrawal symptom. It is a highly addictive and dangerous chemical
- The most widely consumed psychoactive drug that belongs to the methylxanthine class is caffeine
- Formerly theobromine is called xantheose.