Lactaldehyde

Lactaldehyde

Lactaldehyde

Chemical compound

Lactaldehyde is an intermediate in the methylglyoxal metabolic pathway. Methylglyoxal is converted to D-lactaldehyde by glycerol dehydrogenase (gldA). Lactaldehyde is then oxidized to lactic acid by aldehyde dehydrogenase.[1]

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Structure

Lactaldehyde is a three-carbon atom species with a carbonyl group on the first carbon atom (making it an aldehyde), and a hydroxy group on the second carbon atom, making it a secondary alcohol. The molecule is chiral, its stereocenter being located on the second carbon atom.

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:

Dimerization of lactaldehyde leads to a mixture of stereoisomeric 1,4-dioxanes.

In equilibrium solution, negligibly small amounts of the monomer and at least one five-membered ring dimer exist.[2]

References

  1. [1]
    Huang PC; Miller ON (1958). "The metabolism of lactaldehyde, page 205" (PDF). J. Biol. Chem. 231 (1): 201–5. doi:10.1016/S0021-9258(19)77298-6. PMID 13538961.
  2. [2]
    Takahashi, H (1983). "Conformational studies of DL-lactaldehyde by 1H-NMR, Raman and i.r. spectroscopy". Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular Spectroscopy. 39 (6): 569–572. doi:10.1016/0584-8539(83)80108-1.
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