guaiazulene

Also known as 1,4-Dimethyl-7-isopropylazulene, 3,8-dimethyl-5-(2-propyl)azulene, 1,4-dimethyl-7-(1-methylethyl)azulene, 7-isopropyl-1,4-dimethylazulene, Kessazulen, 1,4-Dimethyl-7-isopropylazulene (JAN), 7-Isopropyl-1,4-dimethyl-Azulene, Silazulon

Guaiazulene, also azulon or 1,4-dimethyl-7-isopropylazulene, is a dark blue crystalline hydrocarbon. A derivative of azulene, guaiazulene is a bicyclic sesquiterpene that is a constituent of some essential oils, mainly oil of guaiac and chamomile oil, which also serve as its commercial sources. Various soft corals also contain guaiazulene as a principal pigment. Its low melting point makes guaiazulene difficult to handle, in contrast to the crystalline nature of the parent azulene. The electronic structure (and colors) of guaiazulene and azulene are very similar.

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Encyclopedic overview

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Applications
References

==Applications== thumb|left|upright=1.1|The blue color of the mushroom Lactarius indigo is due to the guaiazulene derivative (7-isopropenyl-4-methylazulen-1-yl)methyl stearate. alt=Guaiazulene solution|thumb|upright=0.8|Guaiazulene solution in DMSO with hydroquinone added as an antioxidant Guaiazulene is an U.S. FDA-approved cosmetic color additive. It – or its 3-sulfonate – is a component of some skin care products together with other skin soothing compounds such as allantoin.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “guaiazulene” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.