Book excerpt: This work presents a definitive interpretation of the current status of and future trends in natural products—a dynamic field at the intersection of chemistry and biology concerned with isolation, identification, structure elucidation, and chemical characteristics of naturally occurring compounds such as pheromones, carbohydrates, nucleic acids, and enzymes. With more than 1,800 color figures, Comprehensive Natural Products II features 100% new material and complements rather than replaces the original work (©1999). Reviews the accumulated efforts of chemical and biological research to understand living organisms and their distinctive effects on health and medicine Stimulates new ideas among the established natural products research community—which includes chemists, biochemists, biologists, botanists, and pharmacologists Informs and inspires students and newcomers to the field with accessible content in a range of delivery formats Includes 100% new content, with more than 6,000 figures (1/3 of these in color) and 40,000 references to the primary literature, for a thorough examination of the field Highlights new research and innovations concerning living organisms and their distinctive role in our understanding and improvement of human health, genomics, ecology/environment, and more Adds to the rich body of work that is the first edition, which will be available for the first time in a convenient online format giving researchers complete access to authoritative Natural Products content