The contents and composition of essential oils obtained from Heracleum sosnowskyi and Heracleum mantegazzianum (Apiaceae) were examined. essential oils were investigated by the GC/MS method. The composition of hogweeds’ essential oils was examined in order to determine toxic compounds that could have a direct influence on the health of people and animals living in close proximity to both species. It was found that the essential oils, except for derivatives of coumarins, contain numerous toxic compounds, e.g. isobutyl isobutyrate, isoamyl butyrate, hexyl hexanoate, 1-hexadecanol etc. No significant differences were found in the chemical composition of the examined seed samples of Heracleum, which confirms the suggestions that the species can be closely related

Enantiopure trinuclear Cu(II) complexes 3 and 4 of macrocyclic amine 1 derived from the 3 + 3 condensation of 2,6-diformyl-4-methylphenol and (1S,2S)-1,2-diaminocyclohexane have been synthesized and characterized by ESI MS and NMR spectroscopy. The X-ray crystal structures of both complexes have been determined. The structure of the chloride derivative 3 indicates unusual combination of distorted tetragonal bipyramidal, square pyramidal and square geometries of the three Cu(II) ions bound by macrocycle 1. The acetate complex 4 also exhibits unsymmetrical trinuclear core with the bridging and terminal acetate anions. The complexation of Cu(II) ions by macrocycle 1 has been studied using potentiometric methods and both protonation and binding constants of 1 have been determined. The distribution of the complex forms indicates cooperative binding of three metal ions by 1. The overall magnetic behaviour for 3 corresponds to an antiferromagnetically coupled triangular system. Compound 4 shows the presence of antiferromagnetic coupling (J = −74.9(1) cm⁻¹) between the metal centers in equilateral triangular array.

Fallopia baldschuanica (Polygonaceae) is an Asian plant growing wild in parts of Europe and North and Central America as an introduced taxon, in many countries it is considered a potentially invasive species. This article presents the list of 18 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by the flowers of F. baldchuanica and identified by headspace gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (HS-GC/MS) analyzes, and a list of flower-visiting and pollinating insects that have been observed in the city center of Wrocław (SW Poland). β-ocimene, heptanal, nonanal, α-pinene, 3-thujene, and limonene, were detected as the floral scent’s most important aroma compounds. F. baldschuanica also produces the aphid alarm pheromones, i.e., β-farnesene and limonene, that repels aphids. Additionally, the pollinators of F. baldschuanica were indicated, based on two years of observations in five sites in the urban area. It was found, that the pollinators of this plant with the highest species stability are: Diptera from families Syrphidae (Chrysotoxum bicinctum, Eristalis pertinax, Eupeodes corollae, Episyrphus balteatus, Eristalis tenax, Syrphus ribesii, Eristalis intricaria), Muscidae (Musca domestica), Sarcophagidae (Sarcophaga spp.), Calliphoridae (Lucilia sericata, Lucilia caesar), Hymenoptera from families Vespidae (Vespula vulgaris), and Apidae (Apis sp., Bombus sp.). The key role of VOCs in adaptation to plant expansion is discussed.

The flowers of some species of orchids produce nectar as a reward for pollination, the process of transferring pollen from flower to flower. Epipactis albensis is an obligatory autogamous species, does not require the presence of insects for pollination, nevertheless, it has not lost the ability to produce nectar, the chemical composition of which we examined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) method for identification of potential insect attractants. During five years of field research, we did not observe any true pollinating insects visiting the flowers of this species, only accidental insects as ants and aphids. As a result of our studies, we find that this self-pollinating orchid produces in nectar inter alia aliphatic saturated and unsaturated aldehydes such as nonanal (pelargonal) and 2-pentenal as well as aromatic ones (i.e., syringaldehyde, hyacinthin). The nectar is low in alkenes, which may explain the absence of pollinating insects. Moreover, vanillin and eugenol derivatives, well-known as important scent compounds were also identified, but the list of chemical compounds is much poorer compared with a closely related species, insect-pollinating E. helleborine. Autogamy is a reproductive mechanism employed by many flowering plants, including the orchid genus Epipactis, as an adaptation to growing in habitats where pollinating insects are rarely observed due to the lack of nectar-producing plants they feed on. The production of numerous chemical attractants by self-pollinated E. albensis confirms the evolutionary secondary process, i.e., transition from ancestral insect-pollinating species to obligatory autogamous.