Secondary metabolites are organic compounds

that are not essential for growth and development.

they are derived from primary metabolites
The basic metabolic pathways constitute the
origins of secondary plant metabolism and give to
vast compounds.
 Mevalonic acid (3,5-dihydroxy-3-
methylvaleric acid)is C6 acid. The major
advance in the elucidation of the isoprenoid
biosynthetic route was the discovery in 1956
of mevalonic acid and the demonstration of
its incorporation by living tissues into those
compounds to which isoprene rule applied.
Mevalonic acid as such is not the active isoprene
unit which forms the basic building block of
isoprenoid compounds.
It was established that C5 compound isopentyl
pyrophosphate derived from mevalonic acid
pyrophosphate by decarboxylation and
dehydration.