Thiosulfinates, organic polysulfanes, and related compounds: From an unusual chemistry toward a wealth of potential applications

It is often said that plants are brilliant synthetic chemists. While that expression may have become trite, what has not ceased to evoke interest and wonder is the sheer myriad of uses, both old and novel, to which many compounds of plant (and generally natural) origin have continued to be put. From medicine to agriculture, and from chemistry to the culinary arts, these compounds continue to receive the attention of experts and laymen alike as a result of the enormous potential for varied applications which they hold. What is more, about 60 % of currently available drugs were either directly or indirectly derived from natural products (Paterson and Anderson 2005), and, not too surprisingly, nutriceuticals-"substances that may be considered a food or part of a food, and (which provide) medical or health benefits, including the prevention and treatment of disease" have been described as the fastest growing sector of today's food industry (see also Chap. 2 and Explanatory Box 1. on the 'synthetic natural' mixture of compounds known as 'Haarlem Oil') (Hardy 2000; Medicine 1992).