In organic chemistry, a semialdehyde is a compound containing an aldehyde and a carboxylic acid functional groups. Semialdehydes are common in biochemistry. [1] The simplest semialdehydes have the formula HO2C(CH2)nCHO. As illustrated by the behavior of the smallest member, glyoxylic acid, semialdehydes often exist as hydrates ( geminal diols) HO2C(CH2)nCH(OH)2.
Some of semialdehydes and their parent dicarboxylic acids are listed below.
Semialdehyde | Dicarboxylic acid |
---|---|
malonic semialdehyde | malonic acid |
tartronic semialdehyde | tartronic acid |
succinic semialdehyde | succinic acid |
methylmalonic semialdehyde | methylmalonic acid |
aspartic-4-semialdehyde | aspartic acid |
glutamic-1-semialdehyde | glutamic acid |
glutamic-5-semialdehyde | glutamic acid |
4-hydroxymuconic-semialdehyde | 4-Hydroxymuconic acid |
2-amino-3-carboxymuconic semialdehyde | 2-hydroxy-4-carboxymuconic acid |
alpha-aminoadipic semialdehyde | alpha-aminoadipic acid |
Although structurally related to semialdehydes, dicarboxylic acids are rarely biochemical precursors to them.