Illustrated Glossary of Organic Chemistry
Retin
al
(
vitamin
A
aldehyde
; retin
aldehyde
):
IUPAC
name (2
E
,4
E
,6
E
,8
E
)-3,7-di
methyl
-9-(2,6,6-tri
methyl
cyclohexen
-1-yl)
nona
-2,4,6,8-tetra
enal
. A
conjugated
aldehyde
, derived from
oxidation
of
retinol
. In the retina, retinal combines with
opsin
to form
rhodopsin
(visual purple), necessary for vision.
Enzyme
Retinol
Retin
al
Enzymatic
oxidation
of
retinol
in the liver gives retinal.
+
Enzyme
Retin
al
Opsin
Rhodopsin
Retin
al
(shown in red) combines with the
primary amine
side chain of a
lysine
residue
in
opsin
(shown in blue) to give
rhodopsin
.
Related terms:
Imine
,
terpene
,
lipid
,
enal
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