Acrolein, also known as propenal or acrylaldehyde, is a member of the class of compounds known as enals. Enals are an alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehyde of general formula RC=C-CH=O in which the aldehydic C=O function is conjugated to a C=C triple bond at the alpha,beta position. Acrolein is soluble (in water) and an extremely weak basic (essentially neutral) compound (based on its pKa). Acrolein is an almond and cherry tasting compound and can be found in a number of food items such as oat, cherry tomato, sacred lotus, and elliott's blueberry, which makes acrolein a potential biomarker for the consumption of these food products. Acrolein can be found primarily in blood, feces, saliva, and urine, as well as in human kidney and liver tissues. Acrolein exists in all eukaryotes, ranging from yeast to humans. In humans, acrolein is involved in few metabolic pathways, which include cyclophosphamide action pathway, cyclophosphamide metabolism pathway, ifosfamide action pathway, and ifosfamide metabolism pathway. Acrolein is formally rated as an unfounded non-carcinogenic (IARC 3) potentially toxic compound. Acrolein (systematic name: propenal) is the simplest unsaturated aldehyde. It is a colourless liquid with a piercing, acrid smell. The smell of burnt fat (as when cooking oil is heated to its smoke point) is caused by glycerol in the burning fat breaking down into acrolein. It is produced industrially from propylene and mainly used as a biocide and a building block to other chemical compounds, such as the amino acid methionine . Ingestion of acrolein causes stomach irritation, vomiting, stomach ulcers and bleeding. Breathing acrolein may cause eye watering, burning of the nose and throat and a decreased breathing rate (L121) (T3DB).
Belongs to the class of organic compounds known as enals. These are an alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehyde of general formula RC=C-CH=O in which the aldehydic C=O function is conjugated to a C=C triple bond at the alpha,beta position.
