Salicylaldehyde be prepared from the corresponding phenol by the Duff reaction, or by treatment with paraformaldehyde in the presence of magnesium chloride and a base. Salicylaldehyde was identified as a characteristic aroma component of buckwheat. It is also one of the components of castoreum, the exudate from the castor sacs of the mature North American beaver ("Castor canadensis") and the European beaver ("Castor fiber"), used in perfumery. Furthermore, salicylaldehyde occurs in the larval defensive secretions of several leaf beetle species that belong the subtribe Chrysomelina. An example for a leaf beetle species that produces salicylaldehyde is the red poplar leaf beetle
Venoms in medicine Venoms in medicine Venom in medicine is the medicinal use of venoms for therapeutic benefit in treating diseases. Venom is any poisonous compound secreted by an animal intended to harm or disable another. When an organism produces a venom, its final form may contain hundreds of different bioactive elements that interact with each other inevitably producing its toxic effects. This mixture of ingredients includes various proteins, peptides, and non-peptidic small molecules. The active components of these venoms are isolated, purified, and screened in assays. These may be either phenotypic assays to identify component that may have desirable therapeutic properties (forward