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lactone

American  
[lak-tohn] / ˈlæk toʊn /

noun

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


lactone British  
/ 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 Scientific  
/ 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.


Other Word Forms

  • lactonic adjective

Etymology

Origin of lactone

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In a recent paper in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, researchers from the Monash Warwick Alliance Combatting Emerging Superbug Threats Initiative reported the discovery of a potent new antibiotic called pre-methylenomycin C lactone.

From Science Daily

Co-lead author Dr. Lona Alkhalaf, Assistant Professor at the University of Warwick, said: "Remarkably, the bacterium that makes methylenomycin A and pre-methylenomycin C lactone -- Streptomyces coelicolor -- is a model antibiotic-producing species that's been studied extensively since the 1950s. Finding a new antibiotic in such a familiar organism was a real surprise."

From Science Daily

Encouragingly, the research team found no evidence of bacterial resistance to pre-methylenomycin C lactone in Enterococcus under conditions that typically lead to resistance against vancomycin.

From Science Daily

In a coordinated publication earlier this year in the Journal of Organic Chemistry, a team led by Monash collaborating with the Warwick team and funded by the Monash Warwick Alliance Combatting Emerging Superbug Threats initiative reported a scalable synthesis of pre-methylenomycin C lactone, paving the way for further research.

From Science Daily

Professor David Lupton, School of Chemistry, Monash University who led the synthesis work says: "This synthetic route should enable the creation of diverse analogues that can be used to probe the structure−activity relationship and mechanism of action for pre-methylenomycin C lactone. The Centre to Impact AMR at Monash gives us a great platform to take this promising antimicrobial forward."

From Science Daily