What does chinone mean?
Chinone is a largely German and historically variant name for what English-language chemistry calls quinone: any member of a family of cyclic organic compounds built on an unsaturated ring bearing two carbonyl groups. The parent compound, benzoquinone, is a yellow crystalline solid with a sharp, chlorine-like odour, but the class extends to biologically crucial molecules such as ubiquinone (coenzyme Q), which carries electrons within mitochondria, and to plant pigments where quinone structures contribute intense colours. Because the paired carbonyls make these molecules strong oxidising agents, quinones appear in dye manufacture, photography, tanning, and industrial synthesis. The word entered chemistry in the nineteenth century from quinic acid, itself named after cinchona bark, the source of quinine. In contemporary usage the standard spelling is 'quinone'; encountering 'chinone' usually signals a German-language source or older literature, so writers working in English should prefer the anglicised form while recognising that both denote exactly the same chemistry.
nounA rare English variant of 'quinone': any of a class of cyclic organic compounds containing two carbonyl groups in an unsaturated ring, especially benzoquinone, notable for their role in oxidation–reduction reactions.
- (chemistry) Any cyclic compound containing a conjugated pair of carbonyl groups in an unsaturated ring; specifically benzoquinone.
"The pigment's colour arises from its conjugated chinone ring system."
"Benzoquinone, the simplest chinone, is used industrially as an oxidising agent."
"Ubiquinone — literally 'everywhere-present chinone' — shuttles electrons inside every living cell's mitochondria."
Countable when referring to individual members of the chemical class; uncountable when referring to the substance generally.
"Naphthoquinones are among the most widely studied chinones in medicinal chemistry."
That golden-yellow crust in old photographic developers and the deep colour of many natural dyes trace back to the same molecule: chinone, better known as quinone.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of chinone
The term derives from German 'Chinon', formed in nineteenth-century chemistry from the same root as 'chinic acid', which was named after cinchona (quina) tree bark, the source of quinine. The suffix '-one' denotes a ketone, reflecting the two carbonyl groups characteristic of the compound. English adopted the word with the spelling regularised to 'quinone', dropping the initial 'ch' retained by German orthography.
How chinone is actually used
In modern English scientific writing, 'quinone' is overwhelmingly preferred; 'chinone' survives mainly as a German form or historical variant and may read as archaic or foreign in English text.
Easily confused with chinone
'Quinone' is the standard English term; 'chinone' is chiefly a German and rare variant spelling of the same compound.