Formula C8H6O3 | Molar mass 150.13 g/mol | |
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Phenylglyoxylic acid is the organic compound with the formula C6H5C(O)CO2H. The conjugate base, known as benzoylformate is the substrate of benzoylformate decarboxylase, a thiamine diphosphate-dependent enzyme:
benzoylformate + H+ ⇌ benzaldehyde + CO2
It is a colourless solid, m.p. 64–66 °C.
Phenylglyoxylic acid can be synthesized by oxidation of mandelic acid with potassium permanganate. An alternative synthesis involves hydrolysis of benzoyl cyanide.
References
Phenylglyoxylic acid Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA