Structure via PubChem · Public domain (PubChem)
4-methylimidazole
Sign in to saveAlso known as 4MI, 4(5)-methylimidazole, 4-MEI, 4-Me-i
4-Methylimidazole (4-MeI or 4-MEI) is a heterocyclic organic chemical compound with molecular formula – or . It is formally derived from imidazole through replacement of the hydrogen in position 4 by a methyl group. It is a slightly yellowish solid.
Chemical data
- Formula
- C4H6N2
- Molecular weight
- 82.1 g/mol
- IUPAC name
- 5-methyl-1H-imidazole
- SMILES
- CC1=CN=CN1
- InChIKey
- XLSZMDLNRCVEIJ-UHFFFAOYSA-N
- XLogP
- 0.2
- Polar surface area
- 28.7 Ų
- H-bond donors
- 1
- H-bond acceptors
- 1
- Formal charge
- 0
via PubChem
Drug data · ChEMBL
- Molecule type
- Small molecule
via ChEMBL · EBI
Wikidata facts
- Has part
- nitrogen
- Mass
- 82.053
Show 7 more facts
- chemical formula
- C₄H₆N₂
- boiling point
- 263
- canonical SMILES
- CC1=CN=CN1
- density
- 1.02
- melting point
- 51.0
- found in taxon
- Megaselia flavescens
- subject has role
- carcinogen
via Wikidata · CC0
~5 min read
Encyclopedic overview
7 sectionsContents
- Preparation and structure
- Safety
- Carcinogenicity studies
- Regulatory response
- See also
- References
- External links
4-Methylimidazole (4-MeI or 4-MEI) is a heterocyclic organic chemical compound with molecular formula – or . It is formally derived from imidazole through replacement of the hydrogen in position 4 by a methyl group. It is a slightly yellowish solid.
4-MeI may be formed in the browning of certain foods through the Maillard reaction between carbohydrates and amino-containing compounds. In particular, it is found in roasted foods, grilled meats, coffee and in types of caramel coloring produced with ammonia-based processes. It may arise also by fermentation.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “4-methylimidazole” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.