Caffeyl alcohol explained

Caffeyl alcohol is the organic compound with the formula (HO)₂C₆H₃-4-CHCHCH₂OH. This colourless solid is related to catechol by attachment to allyl alcohol. It is the precursor to one of the three principal lignols.

Preparation and occurrence

In the laboratory, caffeyl alcohol can be synthesized from 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde.^[1] It is an intermediate in the biosynthesis of coniferyl alcohol, the conversion being effected by caffeate O-methyltransferase.^[2]

Related compounds

Two related compounds are caffeyl aldehyde and caffeic acid, the latter also being a minor component of coffee.^[3]

References

1. Karl Herrmann “Caffeyl Alcohol” Pharmazie 1953, volume 8, 303.
2. John M Humphreys, Clint Chapple “Rewriting the Lignin Roadmap” Current Opinion in Plant Biology 2002, volume 5, 224–229.
3. Rinantonio Viani, Marino Petracco “Coffee” in Ullmann’s Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry” Wiley-VCH, 2007, Weinheim.