lactone

[ lak-tohn ]

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

Origin of lactone

1
First recorded in 1840–50; lact- + -one

Other words from lactone

  • lac·ton·ic [lak-ton-ik], /lækˈtɒn ɪk/, adjective

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British Dictionary definitions for lactone

lactone

/ (ˈlæktəʊn) /


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

Derived forms of lactone

  • lactonic (lækˈtɒnɪk), adjective

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

Scientific definitions for lactone

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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