Terpenoids are the largest and most diverse family of natural products, ranging in structure
from linear to polycyclic molecules and in size from the five-carbon hemiterpenes to natural
rubber, comprising thousands of isoprene units.
All terpenoids are synthesized through the
condensation of isoprene units (C5) and are classified by the number of five-carbon units
present in the core structure (Mahmoud et al. 2002).