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lactone

[ lak-tohn ]

noun

, Chemistry.
  1. any of a group of internal esters derived from hydroxy acids.


lactone

/ ˈlæktəʊn; lækˈtɒnɪk /

noun

  1. any of a class of organic compounds formed from hydroxy acids and containing the group -C(CO)OC-, where the carbon atoms are part of a ring
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

lactone

/ lăktōn′ /

  1. Any of various organic esters derived from organic acids by removal of water. Lactones are formed when the carboxyl (COOH) group of the acid reacts with a hydroxyl (OH) group in the same acid, releasing water and causing the carbon atom to join to the hydroxyl's remaining oxygen atom, forming a ring. Vitamin C, the antibiotic erythromycin, and many commercially important substances are lactones.
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Derived Forms

  • lactonic, adjective
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Other Words From

  • lac·ton·ic [lak-, ton, -ik], adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of lactone1

First recorded in 1840–50; lact- + -one
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Example Sentences

As the chemists explored the breadth of their new dehydrogenation method using different specific starting compounds, they observed trace amounts of a type of molecule called a lactone, indicating that an oxygenation reaction had occurred.

Yu and his group are currently developing a similar approach for making and modifying lactone- and amide-related compounds called lactams, which include some antibiotics.

Acyl-homoserine lactone acylase from Ralstonia strain XJ12B represents a novel and potent class of quorum-quenching enzymes.

From Nature

In dogs experimentally infected with two different heartworm isolates taken from suspected lack-of-efficacy cases from the Delta region, the parasites survived repeated treatment with a macrocyclic lactone.

From Nature

"American oak has lactone levels certainly not found in French oak," Boswell says.

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