Cyclopropanol is an organic compound with the chemical formula C₃H₆O. It contains a

cyclopropyl A cyclopropyl group is a chemical structure derived from cyclopropane; it is typically produced in a cyclopropanation reaction. The group has an empirical formula of C3H5 and chemical bonds from each of the three carbons to both of the other tw ...

group with a

hydroxyl In chemistry, a hydroxy or hydroxyl group is a functional group with the chemical formula and composed of one oxygen atom covalently bonded to one hydrogen atom. In organic chemistry, alcohols and carboxylic acids contain one or more hydroxy ...

group attached to it. The compound is highly unstable due to the three-membered ring, and is susceptible to reactions that open the ring. It is highly prone to rearrangement, undergoing

structural isomer In chemistry, a structural isomer (or constitutional isomer in the IUPAC nomenclature) of a compound is a compound that contains the same number and type of atoms, but with a different connectivity (i.e. arrangement of bonds) between them. The ...

ization to form propanal. This property is useful synthetically: cyclopropanol can be used as a synthon for the homo

enolate In organic chemistry, enolates are organic anions derived from the deprotonation of carbonyl () compounds. Rarely isolated, they are widely used as reagents in the Organic synthesis, synthesis of organic compounds. Bonding and structure Enolate ...

of propanal. The chemical is also useful as a reagent to introduce a cyclopropyl group into

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 ...

sulfate The sulfate or sulphate ion is a polyatomic anion with the empirical formula . Salts, acid derivatives, and peroxides of sulfate are widely used in industry. Sulfates occur widely in everyday life. Sulfates are salts of sulfuric acid and many ...

, and

amine In chemistry, amines (, ) are organic compounds that contain carbon-nitrogen bonds. Amines are formed when one or more hydrogen atoms in ammonia are replaced by alkyl or aryl groups. The nitrogen atom in an amine possesses a lone pair of elec ...

linkages. The resulting cyclopropyl-containing compounds have been used in investigations of potential

antiviral drug Antiviral drugs are a class of medication used for treating viral infections. Most antivirals target specific viruses, while a broad-spectrum antiviral is effective against a wide range of viruses. Antiviral drugs are a class of antimicrobials ...

s and of modulators of

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residue (biochemistry), residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including Enzyme catalysis, catalysing metab ...

trafficking.

References

{{reflist Cycloalkanols Cyclopropyl compounds