Biochemically Active Natural and Semisynthetic Products: Extraction, Characterization, and Application
A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural Products Chemistry".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2026 | Viewed by 2562
Special Issue Editor
Interests: phytochemistry; essential oils; chromatography; mass spectrometry; nuclear magnetic resonance; chemophenetic relationships; biological properties
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Plants, microorganisms, and, to a lesser extent, animals produce a wide and vastly diverse range of organic compounds, the vast majority of which do not appear to directly participate in their growth and development. These compounds, called specialized metabolites (secondary metabolites), often exhibit differential distribution among distinct taxonomic groups, and their functions—many of which remain unknown—are frequently being elucidated. Recognized for their structural complexities and biosynthetic pathways, these specialized metabolites, also known as natural products, remain a great mystery to be explored due to their broad application across various fields of knowledge. Interest in these natural products has largely been driven by their wide utility as dyes, polymers, fibers, glues, oils, waxes, flavoring agents, perfumes, and medicines. The recognition of the biological properties of numerous natural products has also fueled the search for new drugs, antibiotics, insecticides, and herbicides. These metabolites have spurred the development of separation techniques, spectroscopic and spectrometric approaches, as well as synthetic methodologies for obtaining these compounds and their derivatives, which are now quite common in organic chemistry laboratories worldwide. This special edition aims to explore the main methods used to extract, isolate, and purify these natural products, whether through conventional or more sophisticated methods, carefully describing the methodology employed, as in many cases there is adaptation and optimization during the experimental phase of these techniques that are not detailed, often leading to non-reproducible methodologies. Additionally, it seeks to present modern techniques used in the structural elucidation of these natural products and their applications across various areas of knowledge.
Potential themes for this special edition include:
- Methods for extraction, isolation, and purification of natural and semisynthetic products
- Techniques used in the identification and structural elucidation of natural and semisynthetic products
- Techniques used in determining the absolute stereochemistry of natural and semisynthetic products
- Studies on the bioavailability and bioaccessibility of natural and semisynthetic products
- Chemical diversity of natural products using Molecular Networking
- Evaluation of the biological properties of natural and semisynthetic products
- Evaluation of other properties of natural and semisynthetic products in different fields of knowledge
- Characterization of essential oils and applications
- Formulation with natural and semisynthetic products, characterization, and applications
Prof. Dr. Emmanoel Vilaça Costa
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- natural and semisynthetic products
- extraction, isolation, and purification
- identification and structural elucidation
- biological properties
- multidisciplinary applications
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
