MIXED-ALDOL CONDENSATION
Synthesis of Cinnamaldehyde
I. Introduction
Cinnamaldehyde, cinnamic aldehyde or 3-phenyl-2-propenal is the major constituent of cinnamon oil, extracted from several species of Cinnamomum (C. verum, C. burmanii, C. cassia), under the family Lauraceae, a group of evergreen trees. Cinnamon bark (particularly C. verum) yields 0.4-0.8% oil, which contains 60-80% cinnamaldehyde, 4-5% sesquiterpenoids (α-humulene, β-caryophyllene, limonene and others), eugenol, cinnamyl acetate, eugenol acetate, cinnamyl alcohol, methyl eugenol, benzaldehyde, benzyl benzoate, cuminaldehyde, monoterpenes (linalool, pinene, phellandrene and cymene), safrole and others (List and Horhammer; Masada; Ravindran qtd. from Khan and Abourashed, 2011). Isolation of cinnamaldehyde from cinnamon oil of Cinnamomum sp. bark, called “quills”, “quillings”, “featherings” and “chips” depending on quality, was first done in 1834 by Dumas and Peligot (Attokaran, 2011). It has been proven that cinnamaldehyde from cinnamon oil has a very high potential in the pharmaceutical industry, aside from its well known role in the food preparation, specifically as spice, odorant and colorant. Several researches have proven the antimicrobial activity of cinnamaldehyde against Salmonella typhimurium and Bacillus subtilis (Council of Europe, 2008). Also, cinnamaldehyde has been proven to inhibit microbial growth of opportunistic human pathogenic fungi, such as Aspergillus niger, Candida albicans and Rhizopus oligosporus, and various bacteria (Escherichia coli, Enterobacter cloacae, Micrococcus luteus, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus faecalis, and others) (Khan and Abourashed, 2011). Several studies have also unraveled the hypoglycemic (insulin-like) and hypolipidemic properties of cinnamaldehyde since it can cause: elevated glucose oxidation and uptake, causing decrease in blood plasma
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