Simon Cotton takes a look at those compounds that find themselves in the news or relate to our everyday lives.
They are cyclic esters. The γ- (five-membered ring) and δ-lactones (six-membered ring) are formed by a dehydration reaction involving an acid group (-COOH) with an alcohol group (-OH) in the precursor hydroxy carboxylic acid. Many lactones occur in a wide range of natural substances.
Thanks for using Education in Chemistry. You can view one Education in Chemistry article per month as a visitor.
Registration is open to all teachers and technicians at secondary schools, colleges and teacher training institutions in the UK and Ireland.
Get all this, plus much more:
Already a Teach Chemistry member? Sign in now.
Not eligible for Teach Chemistry? Sign up for a personal account instead, or you can also access all our resources with Royal Society of Chemistry membership.