Question

Name the plant from which cocaine is obtained.

Answer 1

Hint: The plant belongs to the family Erythroxylaceae That is usually found in the Western region of South America. The cocaine is obtained from the leaves of the plant that have many commercial and religious uses.

Complete answer:
Cocaine is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. To extract the cocaine the plant has to undergo several chemical reactions including the acid- base extraction. This results in the extraction of the alkaloid which is used as a stimulant.
- Cocaine is also known as coke and is used as a stimulant to recreate the emotions, feelings, and behavior of a person.
- Its intake may result in a high rate of heartbeat, increased sweating, and the person may lose contact with the real world and start to live in their own world.
- It is addictive in nature and may lead to the risk of stroke, heart, and lung problems.
- It is an illegal drug that is the second- highest consumed drug in the world after cannabis.
- The leaves of the coca plants constitute about 0.25 % - 0.77 % of cocaine which is a quite low alkaloid content.
- It is said to be similar to the blackthorn bush in appearance and the height is relatively smaller.
- The flowers of the plant have a yellowish- white colored petal, with heart- shaped antlers and tri- carpellary ovary.
- The flowers then form fruits that are called berries and are red in color.

Note: In 1855 the German chemist Friedrich Gaedcke was the first to isolate the alkaloid cocaine. He gave the name ‘erythroxylon’ to the alkaloid as it was derived from the name of the plant. Later Niemann changed its name to cocaine that was derived from two words ‘Kuka’ + ‘ine’. In 1898, Richard Willstatter was the first to synthesize cocaine molecules and studied its structure.