Coniferyl alcohol is an

organic compound Some chemical authorities define an organic compound as a chemical compound that contains a carbon–hydrogen or carbon–carbon bond; others consider an organic compound to be any chemical compound that contains carbon. For example, carbon-co ...

with the formula HO(CH₃O)C₆H₃CH=CHCH₂OH. A colourless or white solid, it is one of the monolignols, produced via the phenylpropanoid biochemical pathway. When copolymerized with related aromatic compounds, coniferyl alcohol forms

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 rigidit ...

or lignans. Coniferin is a glucoside of coniferyl alcohol. Coniferyl alcohol is an intermediate in

biosynthesis Biosynthesis, i.e., chemical synthesis occurring in biological contexts, is a term most often referring to multi-step, enzyme-Catalysis, catalyzed processes where chemical substances absorbed as nutrients (or previously converted through biosynthe ...

of eugenol and of

stilbenoid Stilbenoids are hydroxylated derivatives of stilbene. They have a C6–C2–C6 structure. In biochemical terms, they belong to the family of phenylpropanoids and share most of their biosynthesis pathway with Chalconoid, chalcones. Most stilbenoids ...

s and coumarin. Gum benzoin contains significant amount of coniferyl alcohol and its

ester In chemistry, an ester is a compound derived from an acid (either organic or inorganic) in which the hydrogen atom (H) of at least one acidic hydroxyl group () of that acid is replaced by an organyl group (R). These compounds contain a distin ...

s. It is found in both

gymnosperm The gymnosperms ( ; ) are a group of woody, perennial Seed plant, seed-producing plants, typically lacking the protective outer covering which surrounds the seeds in flowering plants, that include Pinophyta, conifers, cycads, Ginkgo, and gnetoph ...

and

angiosperm Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed within a fruit ...

plants. Sinapyl alcohol and paracoumaryl alcohol, the other two lignin monomers, are found in

plants and grasses.

Occurrence

Coniferyl alcohol is produced from coniferyl aldehyde by the action of dehydrogenase enzymes. It is a

queen retinue pheromone Queen retinue pheromones (QRP) are a type of honey bee pheromones, so-called because one of their behavioral effects is to attract a circle of bees (a “retinue”) around the queen. In older literature, the queen pheromone is called ''mandibular ...

(QRP), a type of honey bee pheromone found in the mandibular glands. In '' Forsythia intermedia'' a dirigent protein was found to direct the stereoselective biosynthesis of (+)- pinoresinol from coniferyl alcohol. Recently, a second, enantiocomplementary dirigent protein was identified in ''

Arabidopsis thaliana ''Arabidopsis thaliana'', the thale cress, mouse-ear cress or arabidopsis, is a small plant from the mustard family (Brassicaceae), native to Eurasia and Africa. Commonly found along the shoulders of roads and in disturbed land, it is generally ...

'', which directs enantioselective synthesis of (−)-pinoresinol.

References

{{Phenylpropanoids Monolignols O-methylated phenylpropanoids Semiochemicals Insect pheromones