Coniferyl aldehyde 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 ...
with the formula HO(CH
3O)C
6H
3CH=CHCHO. It is a derivative of
cinnamaldehyde
Cinnamaldehyde is an organic compound with the formula(C9H8O) C6H5CH=CHCHO. Occurring naturally as predominantly the ''trans'' (''E'') isomer, it gives cinnamon its flavor and odor. It is a phenylpropanoid that is naturally synthesized by the shi ...
, featuring 4-hydroxy and 3-
methoxy
In organic chemistry, a methoxy group is the functional group consisting of a methyl group bound to oxygen. This alkoxy group has the formula .
On a benzene ring, the Hammett equation classifies a methoxy substituent at the ''para'' position a ...
substituents. It is a major precursor to
lignin
Lignin is a class of complex organic polymers that form key structural materials in the support tissues of most plants. Lignins are particularly important in the formation of cell walls, especially in wood and bark, because they lend rigidity a ...
.
Biosynthetic role
In sweetgum (''Liquidambar styraciflua''), coniferyl aldehyde is a precursor to
sinapaldehyde
Sinapaldehyde is an organic compound with the formula HO(CH3O)2C6H2CH=CHCHO. It is a derivative of cinnamaldehyde, featuring one hydroxy group and two methoxy groups as substituents. It is an intermediate in the formation of sinapyl alcohol, a ...
via
hydroxylation
In chemistry, hydroxylation can refer to:
*(i) most commonly, hydroxylation describes a chemical process that introduces a hydroxyl group () into an organic compound.
*(ii) the ''degree of hydroxylation'' refers to the number of OH groups in a ...
mediated by coniferyl aldehyde 5-hydroxylase.
Coniferyl aldehyde is reduced to coniferyl alcohol by the action of
dehydrogenase
A dehydrogenase is an enzyme belonging to the group of oxidoreductases that oxidizes a substrate by reducing an electron acceptor, usually NAD+/NADP+ or a flavin coenzyme such as FAD or FMN. Like all catalysts, they catalyze reverse as well as ...
enzymes.
[
It is found in '' Senra incana'' (Hibisceae). It is a low molecular weight ]phenol
Phenol (also called carbolic acid) is an aromatic organic compound with the molecular formula . It is a white crystalline solid that is volatile. The molecule consists of a phenyl group () bonded to a hydroxy group (). Mildly acidic, it r ...
that is susceptible to extraction from cork stopper
A stopper or cork is a cylindrical or conical closure used to seal a container, such as a bottle, tube or barrel. Unlike a lid or bottle cap, which encloses a container from the outside without displacing the inner volume, a bung is partially ...
s into wine.[Polyphenolic Composition of Quercus suber Cork from Different Spanish Provenances. Elvira Conde, Estrella Cadahía, María Concepción García-Vallejo and Brígida Fernández de Simón, J. Agric. Food Chem., 1998, volume 46, pp 3166–3171 ]
See also
* Phenolic compounds in wine
The phenolic content in wine refers to the phenolic compounds—natural phenol and polyphenols—in wine, which include a large group of several hundred chemical compounds that affect the taste, color and mouthfeel of wine. These compounds include ...
References
O-methylated phenylpropanoids
Conjugated aldehydes
Vinylogous carboxylic acids
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