Garlic is a species of bulbous flowering plant in the genus Allium. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, Welsh onion, and Chinese onion. It is native to Central Asia, South Asia and northeastern Iran. It has long been used as a seasoning and culinary ingredient worldwide, with a history of several thousand years of human consumption and use, including also use as a traditional medicine. It was known to ancient Egyptians and other ancient cultures for which its consumption has had a significant culinary cultural impact, especially across the Mediterranean region and across parts of Asia. It is produced globally but the largest producer is China which produced 73% of the world's supply of garlic in 2021. There are two subspecies and hundreds of varieties of garlic.
Allicin is an organosulfur compound obtained from garlic. When fresh garlic is chopped or crushed, the enzyme alliinase converts alliin into allicin, which is responsible for the aroma of fresh garlic. Allicin is unstable and quickly changes into a series of other sulfur-containing compounds such as diallyl disulfide. Allicin is an antifeedant, i.e. the defense mechanism against attacks by pests on the garlic plant.
Elephant garlic is a plant belonging to the onion genus. It has a tall, solid, flowering stalk, flat leaves. The flavor is milder than garlic and can be eaten raw in salads, roasted, or sauteed, but is generally not a substitute for conventional garlic in cooking. It is sometimes confused with solo garlic.
Ajoene is an organosulfur compound found in garlic (Allium sativum) extracts. It is a colorless liquid that contains sulfoxide and disulfide functional groups. The name (and pronunciation) is derived from "ajo", the Spanish word for garlic. It is found as a mixture of up to four stereoisomers, which differ in terms of the stereochemistry of the central alkene (E- vs Z-) and the chirality of the sulfoxide sulfur (R- vs S-).
Alliin is a sulfoxide that is a natural constituent of fresh garlic. It is a derivative of the amino acid cysteine. When fresh garlic is chopped or crushed, the enzyme alliinase converts alliin into allicin, which is responsible for the aroma of fresh garlic. Allicin and other thiosulfinates in garlic are unstable and form a number of other compounds, such as diallyl sulfide (DAS), diallyl disulfide (DADS) and diallyl trisulfide (DAT), dithiins and ajoene. Garlic powder is not a source of alliin, nor is fresh garlic upon maceration, since the enzymatic conversion to allicin takes place in the order of seconds.
In organic chemistry, a thial or thioaldehyde is a functional group which is similar to an aldehyde, RC(O)H, in which a sulfur (S) atom replaces the oxygen (O) atom of the aldehyde. Thioaldehydes are even more reactive than thioketones. Unhindered thioaldehydes are generally too reactive to be isolated — for example, thioformaldehyde, H2C=S, condenses to the cyclic trimer 1,3,5-trithiane. Thioacrolein, H2C=CHCH=S, formed by decomposition of allicin from garlic, undergoes a self Diels-Alder reaction giving isomeric vinyldithiins. While thioformaldehyde is highly reactive, it is found in interstellar space along with its mono- and di-deuterated isotopologues. With sufficient steric bulk, however, stable thioaldehydes can be isolated.
Diallyl disulfide is an organosulfur compound derived from garlic and a few other plants in the genus Allium. Along with diallyl trisulfide and diallyl tetrasulfide, it is one of the principal components of the distilled oil of garlic. It is a yellowish liquid which is insoluble in water and has a strong garlic odor. It is produced during the decomposition of allicin, which is released upon crushing garlic and other plants of the family Alliaceae. Diallyl disulfide has many of the health benefits of garlic, but it is also an allergen causing garlic allergy. Highly diluted, it is used as a flavoring in food. It decomposes in the human body into other compounds such as allyl methyl sulfide.
Stainless steel soap is a piece of stainless steel, in the form of a soap bar or other hand-held shape. Its purported purpose is to neutralize or reduce strong odors such as those from handling garlic, onion, durian, guava, salami, or fish.
Tetrahydrothiophene is an organosulfur compound with the formula (CH2)4S. The molecule consists of a five-membered saturated ring with four methylene groups and a sulfur atom. It is the saturated analog of thiophene or the sulfur analog of THF. It is a volatile, colorless liquid with an intensely unpleasant odor. It is also known as thiophane, thiolane, or THT.
A dithiane is a heterocyclic compound composed of a cyclohexane core structure wherein two methylene bridges are replaced by sulfur. The three isomeric parent heterocycles are 1,2-dithiane, 1,3-dithiane and 1,4-dithiane. They are all colorless solids.
In chemistry, a sulfenic acid is an organosulfur compound and oxoacid with the general formula R−S−OH. It is the first member of the family of organosulfur oxoacids, which also include sulfinic acids and sulfonic acids, respectively. The base member of the sulfenic acid series with R = H is hydrogen thioperoxide.
syn-Propanethial S-oxide (or (Z)-propanethial S-oxide), a member of a class of organosulfur compounds known as thiocarbonyl S-oxides (formerly "sulfines"), is a volatile liquid that acts as a lachrymatory agent (triggers tearing and stinging on contact with the eyes). The chemical is released from onions, Allium cepa, as they are sliced. The release is due to the breaking open of the onion cells and their releasing enzymes called alliinases, which then break down amino acid sulfoxides, generating sulfenic acids. A specific sulfenic acid, 1-propenesulfenic acid, formed when onions are cut, is rapidly rearranged by a second enzyme, called the lachrymatory factor synthase or LFS, giving syn-propanethial S-oxide. Vapors from this volatile liquid induces tearing.
Sulfolene, or butadiene sulfone is a cyclic organic chemical with a sulfone functional group. It is a white, odorless, crystalline, indefinitely storable solid, which dissolves in water and many organic solvents. The compound is used as a source of butadiene.
Dithietanes are saturated heterocyclic compounds that contain two divalent sulfur atoms and two sp3-hybridized carbon centers. Two isomers are possible for this class of organosulfur compounds:
In organosulfur chemistry, thiosulfinate is a functional group consisting of the linkage R-S(O)-S-R. Thiolsulfinates are also named as alkanethiosulfinic acid esters.
The inverse electron demand Diels–Alder reaction, or DAINV or IEDDA is an organic chemical reaction, in which two new chemical bonds and a six-membered ring are formed. It is related to the Diels–Alder reaction, but unlike the Diels–Alder reaction, the DAINV is a cycloaddition between an electron-rich dienophile and an electron-poor diene. During a DAINV reaction, three pi-bonds are broken, and two sigma bonds and one new pi-bond are formed. A prototypical DAINV reaction is shown on the right.
Garlic breath is halitosis resulting from the consumption of garlic.
Chester J. Cavallito was an American organic chemist. He was particularly known for his work on the chemistry of garlic. Beginning in 1944, with his colleagues, he reported on the isolation from crushed garlic, synthesis and antibiotic activity of a compound he named allicin. Cavallito established that allicin was a member of a class of organosulfur compounds known as thiosulfinates. He also synthesized and reported on the chemical and biological properties of a series of thiosulfinates related to allicin.
Dithiin is a class of heterocyclic compounds, with the parent members having the formula (C2H2)2S2. Two isomers of this parent are recognized, 1,2- and 1,4-dithiins. Planar dithiins are 8π e− systems, which would lead to antiaromaticity if the structure was planar. Akin to the behavior of cyclooctatetraene, they instead adopt nonplanar structures. Vinyldithiin, a common component of garlic, is a misnomer for 3-vinyl-4H-1,2-dithiin. 1,3-dithiins are unknown.
Eric Block is an American chemist whose research has focused on the chemistry of organosulfur and organoselenium compounds, Allium chemistry, and the chemistry of olfaction. As of 2018, he is Distinguished Professor of Chemistry Emeritus at the University at Albany, SUNY.
