This theoretical course provides an introduction to the principal classes of natural products in living organisms – including terpenes, steroids, alkaloids, and fatty acids – and to the metabolic pathways responsible for their biosynthesis. Particular emphasis is placed on comparing natural biosynthetic routes with laboratory-based synthetic strategies. Key topics include retrosynthetic analysis of secondary metabolites, mechanistic aspects of biosynthetic pathways, and the evaluation of efficiency, selectivity, and limitations of different synthetic
approaches. Drawing on contemporary scientific literature, the course also encourages critical examination of the role of natural products chemistry in pharmaceutical research and development.