In chemistry, pyran, or oxine, is a six-membered

heterocyclic A heterocyclic compound or ring structure is a cyclic compound that has atoms of at least two different elements as members of its ring(s). Heterocyclic chemistry is the branch of organic chemistry dealing with the synthesis, properties, and ...

, non-

aromatic In chemistry, aromaticity is a chemical property of cyclic ( ring-shaped), ''typically'' planar (flat) molecular structures with pi bonds in resonance (those containing delocalized electrons) that gives increased stability compared to satur ...

ring, consisting of five

carbon Carbon () is a chemical element with the symbol C and atomic number 6. It is nonmetallic and tetravalent—its atom making four electrons available to form covalent chemical bonds. It belongs to group 14 of the periodic table. Carbon mak ...

atoms and one

oxygen Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the periodic table, a highly reactive nonmetal, and an oxidizing agent that readily forms oxides with most elements as ...

atom and containing two

double bond In chemistry, a double bond is a covalent bond between two atoms involving four bonding electrons as opposed to two in a single bond. Double bonds occur most commonly between two carbon atoms, for example in alkenes. Many double bonds exist betwee ...

s. The

molecular formula In chemistry, a chemical formula is a way of presenting information about the chemical proportions of atoms that constitute a particular chemical compound or molecule, using chemical element symbols, numbers, and sometimes also other symbols, ...

is C₅H₆O. There are two isomers of pyran that differ by the location of the double bonds. In 2''H''-pyran, the saturated carbon is at position 2, whereas, in 4''H''-pyran, the saturated carbon is at position 4. 4''H''-Pyran was first isolated and characterized in 1962 via

pyrolysis The pyrolysis (or devolatilization) process is the thermal decomposition of materials at elevated temperatures, often in an inert atmosphere. It involves a change of chemical composition. The word is coined from the Greek-derived elements ''py ...

of 2-acetoxy-3,4-dihydro-2''H''-pyran. It was found too unstable, particularly in the presence of air. 4''H''-pyran easily disproportionates to the corresponding dihydropyran and the pyrylium ion, which is easily hydrolyzed in aqueous medium. Although the pyrans themselves have little significance in chemistry, many of their derivatives are important biological molecules, such as the pyranoflavonoids. The term pyran is also often applied to the saturated ring analog, which is more properly referred to as

tetrahydropyran Tetrahydropyran (THP) is the organic compound consisting of a saturated six-membered ring containing five carbon atoms and one oxygen atom. It is named by reference to pyran, which contains two double bonds, and may be produced from it by addi ...

(oxane). In this context, the monosaccharides containing a six-membered ring system are known as pyranoses.

References

{{reflist

See also

References