1,2-Benzoquinone, also called ''ortho''-benzoquinone, is an

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. T ...

with formula . It is one of the two isomers of quinone, the other being 1,4-benzoquinone. It is a red volatile solid that is soluble in water and ethyl ether. It is rarely encountered because of its instability, but it is of fundamental interest as the parent compound of many derivatives which are known.

Structure

The molecule has C symmetry. X-ray crystallography shows that the double bonds are localized, with alternatingly long and short C-C distances within the ring. The C=O distances of 1.21 Å are characteristic of ketones.

Preparation and occurrence

1,2-Benzoquinone is produced on oxidation of

catechol Catechol ( or ), also known as pyrocatechol or 1,2-dihydroxybenzene, is a toxic organic compound with the molecular formula . It is the ''ortho'' isomer of the three isomeric benzenediols. This colorless compound occurs naturally in trace amoun ...

exposed to air in aqueous solution or by ortho oxidation of a

phenol Phenol (also called carbolic acid) is an aromatic organic compound with the molecular formula . It is a white crystalline solid that is volatile. The molecule consists of a phenyl group () bonded to a hydroxy group (). Mildly acidic, it ...

. It is a precursor to

melanin Melanin (; from el, μέλας, melas, black, dark) is a broad term for a group of natural pigments found in most organisms. Eumelanin is produced through a multistage chemical process known as melanogenesis, where the oxidation of the amino ...

. A strain of the

bacterium Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were amon ...

'' Pseudomonas mendocina'' metabolises

benzoic acid Benzoic acid is a white (or colorless) solid organic compound with the formula , whose structure consists of a benzene ring () with a carboxyl () substituent. It is the simplest aromatic carboxylic acid. The name is derived from gum benzoin, ...

, yielding 1,2-benzoquinone via

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Benzoquinone, 1, 2- Enones ja:ベンゾキノン#1,2-ベンゾキノン