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lactone

American

[lak-tohn] / ˈlæk toʊn /

noun

Chemistry.

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

lactone British

/ ˈlæktəʊn, lækˈtɒnɪk /

noun

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

/ lăk′tōn′ /

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.

With its straightforward chemical structure, strong antibacterial power, apparent resistance-proof profile, and scalable production process, pre-methylenomycin C lactone stands out as a promising new candidate.

From Science Daily • Oct. 29, 2025

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.

From Science Daily • Apr. 20, 2024

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

From Nature • Nov. 14, 2017

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 • Mar. 28, 2017

Solution in dilute alkali was supposed to be accompanied by the rupture of the lactone ring with the formation of the quinonoid salt shown in 2.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 1 "Châtelet" to "Chicago" by Various

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023