Caffeyl alcohol is the organic compound with the formula (HO)2C6H3-4-CHCHCH2OH. This colourless solid is related to catechol by attachment to allyl alcohol. It is the precursor to one of the three principal lignols.
Preparation and occurrence In the laboratory, caffeyl alcohol can be synthesized from 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde.Karl Herrmann “Caffeyl Alcohol” Pharmazie 1953, volume 8, 303. It is an intermediate in the biosynthesis of coniferyl alcohol, the conversion being effected by caffeate O-methyltransferase.John M Humphreys, Clint Chapple “Rewriting the Lignin Roadmap” Current Opinion in Plant Biology 2002, volume 5, 224–229.
Related compounds Two related compounds are caffeyl aldehyde and caffeic acid, the latter also being a minor component of coffee.Rinantonio Viani, Marino Petracco “Coffee” in Ullmann’s Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry” Wiley-VCH, 2007, Weinheim.
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