Structure via PubChem · Public domain (PubChem)
gamma-valerolactone
Sign in to saveAlso known as dihydro-5-methyl-2(3H)-furanone, 5-methyloxolan-2-one, gamma-pentanolactone, gamma-pentalactone, 4-valerolactone, 4-pentanolide, 4-methyl-gamma-butyrolactone, 4-methyl-4-hydroxybutanoic acid lactone
γ-Valerolactone (GVL) or gamma-valerolactone is an organic compound with the formula C5H8O2. This colourless liquid is one of the more common lactones. GVL is chiral but is usually used as the racemate. It is readily obtained from cellulosic biomass and is a potential fuel and green solvent.
Chemical data
- Formula
- C5H8O2
- Molecular weight
- 100.12 g/mol
- IUPAC name
- 5-methyloxolan-2-one
- SMILES
- CC1CCC(=O)O1
- InChIKey
- GAEKPEKOJKCEMS-UHFFFAOYSA-N
- XLogP
- 0.6
- Polar surface area
- 26.3 Ų
- H-bond donors
- 0
- H-bond acceptors
- 2
- Formal charge
- 0
via PubChem
~4 min read
Encyclopedic overview
8 sectionsContents
- Synthesis
- Potential applications
- Potential fuel
- Potential production of biomass-derived fuels
- Membrane fabrication
- See also
- References
- External links
γ-Valerolactone (GVL) or gamma-valerolactone is an organic compound with the formula C5H8O2. This colourless liquid is one of the more common lactones. GVL is chiral but is usually used as the racemate. It is readily obtained from cellulosic biomass and is a potential fuel and green solvent.
GVL behaves as a prodrug to γ-hydroxyvaleric acid (GHV), a drug with similar effects to those of γ-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), albeit with less potency in comparison. Because GHB is controlled in many parts of the world, while GVL is not, GVL has gained popularity as a legal substitute for GHB.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “gamma-valerolactone” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.