Hydroquinone
Applications Of Hydroquinone:
It is mainly used as reducing agent, developer (reducing silver halide to silver), polymerization inhibitor of monomer (acrylic acid, methyl methacrylate), skin whitening agent, etc. They are important raw materials, additives and intermediates for rubber, medicine, dyes, pesticides and fine chemicals.
Introduction Of Hydroquinone:
Hydroquinone is a white needle crystal, flammable, soluble in hot water, ether and ethanol, and slightly soluble in benzene. It is reductive. After mild oxidation, brown p-benzoquinone (C6H4O2) is obtained, and p-benzoquinone is reduced to hydroquinone. P-benzoquinone hydroquinone redox pairs exist in many biological molecules, such as coenzyme Q. The phenolic hydroxyl hydrogen of hydroquinone is weakly acidic, and one or two protons can be lost to form the corresponding phenolic salt anion.
Produced as an inhibitor, an antioxidant, and an intermediate in the synthesis of dyes, motor fuels, and oils; in photographic processing; and naturally in certain plant species, Hydroquinone is a phenol derivative with antioxidant properties that can cause toxicity in several organs, notably the kidney. Used as a topical treatment for skin hyperpigmentation and in various cosmetic products, it is metabolized mainly to glutathione conjugates and forms mutagenic DNA adducts in in-vitro systems.