ORGANIC CHEMISTRY 
 

1. Piperine (Pepper)  
BACKGROUND 
INFORMATION 
A new group of alkaloid was 
appeared in 1819 by the isolation 
of piperine from Piperine nigrum.
[1]
They called this compound as 
piperine-type alkaloids or 
alkamindes or piperamides was confined from piper. Piperine is alkaloid group which has​ C​17​H​19​NO​3​ as its 
molecule formula. The IUPAC name is ​(2E,4E)-5-(1,3-benzodioxol-5-yl)-1-piperidin-1-ylpenta- 2,4 
-dien-1-one​. [6]
Piperine is an organic compound that has the average weight at 285.343 g/mol. 
 

Chemical / physical properties 

Piperine  is  organic  compound  which  classed  either  with  the  lipid  family  or  with  the  alkaloids.  It  constitute 
[4]
about  5-9  percent  of  commercial  black  or  white  pepper. Piperine  is  commonly  found  in  peppercorn, 
[3]
ginger  and  other  natural  sources  and  is  grouped  as  an  alkaloid.   Furthermore,  ​piperine  is  what  gives 
[5]
pepper  its  bitter taste and it’s also responsible for making the spice an irritant, so this makes us sneeze.  
The  obvious  example  of  piperine is  black pepper because it is one of the well-known spices extensively used 
[2]
worldwide  especially  in  India,  and  Southeast  Asia.   ​The  sharp  odor  and  flavor  of  pepper  is  attributed  to 

 
 
 
[4]
the  compound  chavicine  which  is  an  isomer  of  piperine. It  also  used  as the traditional medicine and the 
insecticider.  Piperine  has  melting  point  at  ​130  °C  or  266 °F or 403 K and the boiling point is decomposed. 
It  is  slightly  soluble  in  water  (40  mg/L,  or  1g/25L  (18°C))  and  more  so  in  alcohol  (1g/15mL),  ether 
(1g/36mL) or chloroform (1g/1.7mL): the solution in alcohol has a pepper-like taste. It yields salts only with 
[6]
strong acids.   

 
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2. Eugenol (Cloves) 
BACKGROUND 
INFORMATION 

Eugenol is small molecule and it is a 

member of the allylbenzene class of 
chemical compounds which has 
C​10​H​12​O​2​ as a molecular formula. The 
IUPAC name of eugenol is 
2-methoxy-4- 
(prop-2-en-1-yl)phenol​. It is phenylpropene, an allyl chain-substituted guaiacol. Eugenol is an organic 
[7]
compound that has an average weight at 164.2011 g/mol. Also, this compound contains 4 functional 
groups which consisted of aldehyde, alcohol, methoxy and allylbenzene. 

 
Chemical / physical properties 

Eugenol is a member of the allylbenzene class of chemical compounds. It is a clear to pale yellow oily liquid 
[7]
extracted from certain essential oils especially. ​Moreover, ​it has a pleasant, spicy, clove-like odor.  
Eugenol has medicinal value, but it is also used in products such as perfume, dentistry and clove-flavored 
[9]
cigarettes. In medicine, eugenol is used as an antiseptic and an anesthetic. ​The example of eugenol is 
basil. Its component of basil's volatile oils has been the subject of extensive study, since this substance can 
[8]
block the activity of an enzyme in the body called ​cyclooxygenase. ​For the clove oil, it is made up of 
between 80 to 95 percent eugenol, which is largely responsible for cloves’ ability to keep food from spoiling. 

 
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[10]
Eugenol has melting point at ​15.4 to 15.6° F and the boiling point at 489° F. It is miscible with alcohol, 
[7]
chloroform, ether, oils and it is solubility at less than 1 mg/mL.  

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
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Reference 
[1]
Canadian Center of Science and Education. (2013). ​Piperine-Type Amides: Review of the Chemical and  
Biological Characteristics . ​Retrieved from  
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.832.4635&rep=rep1&type=pdf 
 
[2]
Namjoyan F, Hejazi H, Ramezani Z - Jundishapur J Nat Pharm Prod (2012). ​Chemical Structure of  
Different Piperine Isomers.​ Retrieved from  
https://openi.nlm.nih.gov/detailedresult.php?img=PMC3941875_jjnpp-07-163-e001&req=4 
 
[3]
A.C.Kumoro, Singh H., Hasan M.(2010, January 05).​ Solubility of Piperine in Supercritical and Near  
Critical Carbon Dioxide. ​ Retrieved from  
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1004954108603109 
 
[4]
Britannica, T. E. (2016, April 01). ​Piperine.​ Retrieved from  
https://www.britannica.com/science/piperine 
 
[5]
TMCS. (2017). ​Black Pepper (Piper nigrum). ​Retrieved from  
https://chempics.wordpress.com/2017/02/22/black-pepper-piper-nigrum/ 
 
[6]
Science of Cooking. (n.d.). ​Piperine -- Chemical and Physical Properties and Effects. ​Retrieved from 
http://www.scienceofcooking.com/piperine.htm 
 
[7]
PubChem. (n.d.). ​Eugenol​. Retrieved from  
https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/eugenol#section=Top 
 
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[8]
The world’s healthiest foods. (n.d.). Basil. Retrieved from  
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=85 
 
[9]
Pavithra. B. (2014). Eugenol-A Review. Retrieved from  
http://www.jpsr.pharmainfo.in/Documents/Volumes/vol6issue03/jpsr06031406.pdf  
 
[10]
Broadhurst. L. C., James A. D., (1997). Oil of Cloves: The Benefits of Eugenol. Retrieved from  
https://www.motherearthliving.com/plant-profile/eugenol 

 
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