Arecatannins are a class of condensed tannins in the sub-class

procyanidin Procyanidins are members of the proanthocyanidin (or condensed tannins) class of flavonoids. They are oligomeric compounds, formed from catechin and epicatechin molecules. They yield cyanidin when depolymerized under oxidative conditions. See th ...

s contained in the seeds of ''

Areca catechu ''Areca catechu'' is a species of palm which grows in much of the tropical Pacific, Asia, and parts of east Africa. The palm is believed to have originated in the Philippines, but is widespread in cultivation and is considered naturalized in so ...

'' also called

betel nut The betel (''Piper betle'') is a vine of the family Piperaceae, which includes pepper and kava. The betel plant is native to Southeast Asia. It is an evergreen, dioecious perennial, with glossy heart-shaped leaves and white catkins. Betel p ...

. The arecatannin-type natural products from Ceylonese cassia bark and Areca seed are examples

polyphenol Polyphenols () are a large family of naturally occurring organic compounds characterized by multiples of phenol units. They are abundant in plants and structurally diverse. Polyphenols include flavonoids, tannic acid, and ellagitannin, some o ...

s by both current definitions, and fit the distinct definition of a

polymeric A polymer (; Greek '' poly-'', "many" + ''-mer'', "part") is a substance or material consisting of very large molecules called macromolecules, composed of many repeating subunits. Due to their broad spectrum of properties, both synthetic an ...

phenol as well.Isolation and structure elucidation of tannins. G. Nonaka, Pure & Appl. Chem.,Vol. 61, No. 3, pp. 357–360, 1989.
/ref>

Known molecules

* Arecatannin A1 * Arecatannin A2 (CAS number : 79763-29-4, formula : C₆₀H₅₀O₂₄, MW : 1154.26920253) * Arecatannin A3 * Arecatannin B1 * Arecatannin B2 * Arecatannin C1Areca nut on Kegg drugs
/ref>

References

Procyanidins {{Polyphenol-stub