Quinuclidine is an
organic compound
In chemistry, organic compounds are generally any chemical compounds that contain carbon- hydrogen or carbon-carbon bonds. Due to carbon's ability to catenate (form chains with other carbon atoms), millions of organic compounds are known. Th ...
and a
bicyclic
In chemistry, a bicyclic molecule () is a molecule that features two joined rings. Bicyclic structures occur widely, for example in many biologically important molecules like α-thujene and camphor. A bicyclic compound can be carbocyclic (a ...
amine
In chemistry, amines (, ) are compounds and functional groups that contain a basic nitrogen atom with a lone pair. Amines are formally derivatives of ammonia (), wherein one or more hydrogen atoms have been replaced by a substituent su ...
and used as a
catalyst
Catalysis () is the process of increasing the rate of a chemical reaction by adding a substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed in the reaction and remain unchanged after it. If the reaction is rapid and the catalyst recyc ...
and a chemical building block. It is a strong
base with
p''K''a of the
conjugate acid
A conjugate acid, within the Brønsted–Lowry acid–base theory, is a chemical compound formed when an acid donates a proton () to a base—in other words, it is a base with a hydrogen ion added to it, as in the reverse reaction it loses a ...
of 11.0.
[{{cite journal , title=Azatriquinanes: Synthesis, Structure, and Reactivity , author1=Hext, N. M. , author2=Hansen, J. , author3=Blake, A. J. , author4=Hibbs, D. E. , author5=Hursthouse, M. B. , author6=Shishkin, O. V. , author7=Mascal, M. , journal=J. Org. Chem. , year=1998 , volume=63 , issue=17 , pages=6016–6020 , doi=10.1021/jo980788s , pmid=11672206] It can be prepared by reduction of
quinuclidone.
In alkane solvents quinuclidine is a Lewis base that forms adducts with a variety of Lewis acids.
The compound is structurally related to
DABCO, in which the other bridgehead is also nitrogen, and to
tropane, which has a slightly different carbon frame.
Quinuclidine is found as a structural component of some biomolecules including
quinine
Quinine is a medication used to treat malaria and babesiosis. This includes the treatment of malaria due to '' Plasmodium falciparum'' that is resistant to chloroquine when artesunate is not available. While sometimes used for nocturnal leg ...
.
References