Lignans are aromatic compounds isolated from plants. This handbook presents an authoritative and comprehensive review of lignan chemistry, biochemistry, nomenclature, uses, and occurrence. Lignans are used in a wide variety of industries and this book will appeal to those working in the pulp and paper industries, renewable energy, specialty chemicals, pharmaceuticals, flavors and fragrances, agriculture and forestry, evolution and ecology.

Additionally, the book features a comprehensive lignans dictionary section, drawn from the prestigious Dictionary of Natural Products. Other features include:

• Presents a comprehensive and up-to-date account of this important group of natural products
• Addresses and resolves problems in current lignan nomenclature
• Edited by the leaders in the field of lignan chemistry and biochemistry

About the Author:

Norman G. Lewis currently holds positions of Regents Professor and Eisig-Tode Distinguished Professor, Institute of Biological Chemistry, at Washington State University. He is Regional Editor of Phytochemistry. He has received numerous forms of recognition including: election to Corresponding Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, FRSE, Scotland's National Academy of Science and Letters; Fellow of the American Society for Plant Biologists (ASPB); Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Life Member of the Phytochemical Society for North America (PSNA), and Fellow, International Academy of Wood Science (IAWS). He also holds a Fulbright Distinguished Professor Fellowship (Science without Borders) to Brazil for 2014/2015. He has held many leadership positions in various learned societies, such as President of the American Society of Gravitational and Space Biology (ASGSB) and President, PSNA, as well as responsibilities/offices with the American Chemical Society and other professional organizations. He serves on several editorial boards, federal and international grant review panels, and scientific advisory boards worldwide.

Laurence Davin is a Senior Research Scientist Faculty in the Institute of Biological Chemistry, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA. Dr. Davin's research activities include support as co-Principal Investigator from funding through U.S. DOE, NASA, NIH, NSF, USDA/USDA NIFA, as well as from Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman, Thomas G. and Anita Hargrove and Arthur M. and Katie Eisig-Tode Foundations. She received her BSc and PhD degrees in Plant Biochemistry/Physiology from l' Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse and was awarded a post-doctoral appointment at the National Research Council (Saskatoon) of Canada's Plant Biotechnology Institute in the late Ted Underhill's Laboratory, where she focused on glucosinolate biogenesis. This was followed by a Research Associate appointment at Virginia Tech, prior to joining the WSU faculty ranks.