In 1939, xanthone was introduced as an
insecticide and it currently finds uses as
ovicide for
codling moth eggs and as a
larvicide.[2] Xanthone is also used in the preparation of
xanthydrol, which is used in the determination of
urea levels in the blood.[3] It can also be used as a
photocatalyst.[4]
Xanthone forms the core of a variety of natural products, such as
mangostin or
lichexanthone. These compounds are sometimes referred to as xanthones or
xanthonoids. Over 200 natural xanthones have been identified. Many are phytochemicals found in plants in the families
Bonnetiaceae,
Clusiaceae, and
Podostemaceae.[7] They are also found in some species of the genus
Iris.[8] Some xanthones are found in the
pericarp of the
mangosteen fruit (Garcinia mangostana) as well as in the bark and timber of Mesua thwaitesii.[9]
^Steiner, L. F. and S. A. Summerland. 1943. Xanthone as an ovicide and larvicide for the codling moth. Journal of Economic Entomology 36, 435-439.
^Bowden, R. S. T. (1962). "The Estimation of Blood Urea by the Xanthydrol Reaction". Journal of Small Animal Practice. 3 (4): 217–218.
doi:
10.1111/j.1748-5827.1962.tb04191.x.
^Romero, Nathan A.; Nicewicz, David A. (10 June 2016). "Organic Photoredox Catalysis". Chemical Reviews. 116 (17): 10075–10166.
doi:
10.1021/acs.chemrev.6b00057.
PMID27285582.
^"An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG II". Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 141 (4): 399–436. 2003.
doi:
10.1046/j.1095-8339.2003.t01-1-00158.x.