Synthetic Applications
The Dakin oxidation is most commonly used to synthesize benzenediols and alkoxyphenols. Catechol, for example, is synthesized from o-hydroxy and o-alkoxy phenyl aldehydes and ketones, and is used as the starting material for synthesis of several compounds, including the catecholamines, catecholamine derivatives, and 4-tert-butylcatechol, a common antioxidant and polymerization inhibitor. Other synthetically useful products of the Dakin oxidation include guaiacol, a precursor of several flavorants; hydroquinone, a common photograph-developing agent; and 2-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyanisole and 3-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyanisole, two antioxidants commonly used to preserve packaged food. In addition, the Dakin oxidation is useful in the synthesis of indolequinones, naturally-occurring compounds that exhibit high anti-biotic, anti-fungal, and anti-tumor activities.
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Famous quotes containing the word synthetic:
“In every philosophical school, three thinkers succeed one another in the following way: the first produces out of himself the sap and seed, the second draws it out into threads and spins a synthetic web, and the third waits in this web for the sacrificial victims that are caught in it—and tries to live off philosophy.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)