Overview

Vanillin is a white crystalline solid with a pleasant, sweet aroma, and a characteristic vanilla-like flavor. Chemically, it is the methyl ether of 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, a ring compound that contains the carboxyl (-COOH) group and the hydroxyl (-OH) group. Vanillin is the substance responsible for the familiar taste of vanilla, which has been used as a food additive and spice for hundreds of years. Vanilla was probably first used as a flavoring by the inhabitants of South and Central America before the arrival of Europeans in the sixteenth century. Spanish explorers brought the spice back to Europe, where it soon became very popular as a food additive and for the flavoring of foods. Since that time, vanilla has become one of the world's most popular spices.

Key Facts

Other Names:

4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde; 3-methoxy-4-hydroxybenzaldehyde; vanillic aldehyde

Formula:

(CH₃O)(OH)C₆H₃CHO

Elements:

Carbon, hydrogen, oxygen...