Showing chemical card for L-lactaldehyde (CFc000337869)
Record Information
Version
1.0
Creation Date
Update Date
2022-09-14 05:31:57 UTC
Chemfont ID
CFc000337869
Molecule Identification
Common Name
L-lactaldehyde
Definition
L-lactaldehyde, also known as 2-hydroxypropanal, is a member of the class of compounds known as alpha-hydroxyaldehydes. Alpha-hydroxyaldehydes are organic compounds containing an aldehyde substituted with a hydroxyl group on the adjacent carbon. L-lactaldehyde is soluble (in water) and a very weakly acidic compound (based on its pKa). L-lactaldehyde can be found in a number of food items such as redcurrant, persimmon, hyacinth bean, and celery leaves, which makes L-lactaldehyde a potential biomarker for the consumption of these food products. Lactaldehyde exists in several forms: in open-chain form and as cyclic hemiacetal; in solution and in crystal forms; as monomer and as dimer. In crystal form, three conformers occur as hemiacetal dimers with a 1,4-dioxane ring skeleton: In equilibrium solution, negligibly small amounts of the monomer and at least one five-membered ring dimer exist .
Belongs to the class of organic compounds known as alpha-hydroxyaldehydes. These are organic compounds containing an aldehyde substituted with a hydroxyl group on the adjacent carbon.
