( )-catechin
Catechin is a flavan-3-ol, a type of secondary metabolite providing antioxidant roles in plants. It belongs to the subgroup of polyphenols called flavonoids. The name of the catechin chemical family derives from '' catechu'', which is the tannic juice or boiled extract of ''Mimosa catechu'' ('' Acacia catechu'' L.f.). Chemistry Catechin possesses two benzene rings (called the A and B rings) and a dihydropyran heterocycle (the C ring) with a hydroxyl group on carbon 3. The A ring is similar to a resorcinol moiety while the B ring is similar to a catechol moiety. There are two chiral centers on the molecule on carbons 2 and 3. Therefore, it has four diastereoisomers. Two of the isomers are in ''trans'' configuration and are called ''catechin'' and the other two are in ''cis'' configuration and are called ''epicatechin''. The most common catechin isomer is (+)-catechin. The other stereoisomer is (−)-catechin or ''ent''-catechin. The most common epicatechin isomer is (− ...
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