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Definition of Hemiacetal
1. Noun. An organic compound usually formed as an intermediate product in the preparation of acetals from aldehydes or ketones.
Generic synonyms: Organic Compound
Definition of Hemiacetal
1. [n -S]
Medical Definition of Hemiacetal
1. RCH(OH)OR', a product of the addition of an alcohol to an aldehyde (an acetal is formed by the addition of an alcohol to a hemiacetal). In the aldose sugars, the hemiacetal formation is internal and labile, brought about by the 4-OH or 5-OH attack on the carbonyl O, yielding the furanose or pyranose structures; the hemiacetal forms of the sugars are involved in all polysaccharides, as glycosyls or glycosides. See: hemiketal, acetal. (05 Mar 2000)
Lexicographical Neighbors of Hemiacetal
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