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Updated: Oct 9, 2026

Microwave-assisted Intramolecular Dehydrogenative Diels-Alder Reactions for the Synthesis of Functionalized Naphthalenes/Solvatochromic Dyes
Published on: April 1, 2013
Mechanistic studies on the biomimetic reduction of tetrahydroxynaphthalene, a key intermediate in melanin
K Ichinose1, Y Ebizuka, U Sankawa
1Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Japan.
Abstract:
1,3,6,8-Tetrahydroxynaphthalene (T4HN) is an aromatic polyketide, serving as a general precursor of fungal melanin. Melanin biosynthesis involves two consecutive deoxygenations of T4HN, consisting of the reduction of a phenolic carbon followed by dehydration. The first reduction to produce scytalone was studied in a biomimetic reduction with sodium borohydride. The reduction required a strong alkaline condition, leading to the tautomerization of T4HN to a reactive species whose structure was clarified by NMR spectroscopy.
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