coniferin

[koh-nif-er-in, kuh-]

noun

Chemistry.

1. a grayish-white, water-soluble powder, C 16 H 22 O 8 ⋅2H 2 O, obtained from the cambium of coniferous trees and from asparagus: used chiefly in the manufacture of vanillin.

Word History and Origins

Origin of coniferin¹

First recorded in 1865–70; conifer + -in ²

Example Sentences

By acting with these enzymes on the natural glucosides, it is found that the majority are of the β-form; e.g. emulsin hydrolyses salicin, helicin, aesculin, coniferin, syringin, &c.

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Coniferin, C16H22O8, occurs in the cambium of coniferous woods.

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The coniferyl alcohol obtained from coniferin by hydrolysis can be easily oxidized to vanillin, and is, therefore, the source for the artificial flavoring extract used as a substitute for the true extract of the vanilla bean.

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Glucosides Amygdalin, coniferin, salicin, helicin, phlorrhizin.

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Vanillin, the odoriferous principle of the vanilla bean, is an aldehyde which was first artificially prepared by Tiemann and Haarmann in 1874 by oxidizing coniferin, a glucoside contained in the sap of various coniferæ, but it now appears to be usually manufactured from eugenol, a phenol contained in oil of cloves.

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