Tetrahydropyran (THP) is the
organic compound
In chemistry, organic compounds are generally any chemical compounds that contain carbon- hydrogen or carbon-carbon bonds. Due to carbon's ability to catenate (form chains with other carbon atoms), millions of organic compounds are known. Th ...
consisting of a saturated six-membered ring containing five carbon atoms and one oxygen atom. It is named by reference to
pyran, which contains two double bonds, and may be produced from it by adding four hydrogens. In 2013, its preferred IUPAC name was established as oxane. The compound is a colourless volatile liquid. Derivatives of tetrahydropyran are, however, more common. 2-Tetrahydropyranyl (THP-) ethers derived from the reaction of alcohols and
3,4-dihydropyran
3,4-Dihydropyran (DHP) is a heterocyclic compound with the formula C5H8O. The six-membered C5O ring has the unsaturation adjacent to oxygen. The isomeric 3,6-dihydropyran has a methylene separating the double bond and oxygen. DHP is used for prot ...
are commonly used as protecting groups in
organic synthesis
Organic synthesis is a special branch of chemical synthesis and is concerned with the intentional construction of organic compounds. Organic molecules are often more complex than inorganic compounds, and their synthesis has developed into one o ...
.
Furthermore, a tetrahydropyran ''ring system'', i.e., five carbon atoms and an oxygen, is the core of
pyranose sugars, such as
glucose
Glucose is a simple sugar with the molecular formula . Glucose is overall the most abundant monosaccharide, a subcategory of carbohydrates. Glucose is mainly made by plants and most algae during photosynthesis from water and carbon dioxide, usi ...
.
Structure and preparation
In gas phase, the THP exists in its lowest energy C
s symmetry chair conformation.
One classic procedure for the
organic synthesis
Organic synthesis is a special branch of chemical synthesis and is concerned with the intentional construction of organic compounds. Organic molecules are often more complex than inorganic compounds, and their synthesis has developed into one o ...
of tetrahydropyran is by
hydrogenation
Hydrogenation is a chemical reaction between molecular hydrogen (H2) and another compound or element, usually in the presence of a catalyst such as nickel, palladium or platinum. The process is commonly employed to reduce or saturate org ...
of the 3,4-
isomer
In chemistry, isomers are molecules or polyatomic ions with identical molecular formulae – that is, same number of atoms of each element – but distinct arrangements of atoms in space. Isomerism is existence or possibility of isomers.
...
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