Salicylaldehyde

Salicylaldehyde is a chemical compound that occurs naturally in some plants and insects and is widely used today as a fragrance and in the pharmaceutical and chemical industries. It is derived from both benzaldehyde and phenol. The structure consists of a benzene ring with attached aldehyde (-CHO) and hydroxy (-OH) groups as substituents. Salicylaldehyde belongs to the group of hydroxybenzaldehydes.

Salicylaldehyde is used as an intermediate in the paint and drug industry and in a 10% alcoholic solution to detect ketones (e.g. acetone in urine) and fusel oils in alcohol. It is also used to make Schiff's bases, e.g. B. The complexing agent N,N'-bis(salicylidene)ethylenediamine (abbreviation: salen), whose cobalt(II) complex (salcomine) can reversibly bind oxygen, is used. It is also used as a fragrance in perfumes.