Coumarin

codes geen / geen

 

 

Formula

CAS

C9H6O2
91-64-5

 
CAS: Chemical Abstract Service Registry Number
 

Background

Coumarin (2H-chromen-2-one) is a fragrant chemical compound in the benzopyrone chemical class, found in many plants, notably in high concentration in the tonka bean (Dipteryx odorata), vanilla grass (Anthoxanthum odoratum), sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum), mullein (Verbascum spp.), sweet grass (Hierochloe odorata), cassia cinnamon (Cinnamomum aromaticum) and sweet clover (Fabaceae spp.). The name comes from a French word, coumarou, for the tonka bean. It has a sweet odor, readily recognised as the scent of newly-mown hay, and has been used in perfumes since 1882. Sweet woodruff, sweet grass and sweet clover in particular are named for their sweet smell, which is due to their high content of this substance. It has been used as an aroma enhancer in pipe tobaccos and certain alcoholic drinks, although in general it is banned as a flavorant food additive, due to concerns about hepatotoxicity coumarin causes in animal models. When it occurs in high concentrations in forage plants, coumarin is a somewhat bitter-tasting appetite suppressant, and is presumed to be produced by plants as a defense chemical to discourage predation.

Although coumarin itself has no anticoagulant properties, it is transformed into the natural anticoagulant dicoumarol by a number of species of fungi. This occurs as the result of the production of 4-hydroxycoumarin, then further (in the presence of naturally occurring formaldehyde) into the actual anticoagulant dicoumarol, a fermentation product and mycotoxin. This substance was responsible for the bleeding disease known historically as "sweet clover disease" in cattle eating moldy sweet clover silage.

 

Coumarin is part of the Fragrance II mix.

 

Synonyms

2H-chromen-2-one

1-benzopyran-2-one

 

Uses

Perfumes

Cosmetics

gain medium in some dye lasers

photovoltaic technologies

 

Cross-Reactions

 

 

Unusual Reactions

 

 

References

1.

Wikipedia

 

 

 

 

 

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