Imidazole

Imidazole (ImH) is an organic compound. It is an aromatic ring with five atoms, three carbon and two nitrogen. Its chemical formula is C3H4N2[1] or C3H3(NH)N. Imidazole is an aromatic compound.[2] It is a white or colourless solid at 25 degrees Celsius at standard atmosphere (a pressure). It i is soluble in water, producing a mildly alkaline solution.

Role in biology

Many natural products, especially alkaloids, have the imidazole ring. This ring system is present in important biological building blocks, such as histidine, and the related hormone, histamine.

Properties

Only one of the nitrogen atoms in imidizole acts as a base.[3] The other nitrogen atom is bonded to a hydrogen atom that acts like a weak acid.[4] Because it can be both an acid and a base, imidazole is amphoteric.


References

  1. ↑ "Imidazole". Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Retrieved 2025-09-19.
  2. ↑ John McMurray (2023-09-20). "15.5 Aromatic Heterocycles: Pyridine and Pyrrole". Organic Chemistry: A Tenth Edition. Houston, TX: OpenStax.
  3. ↑ John McMurray (2023-09-20). "24.9 Heterocyclic Amines". Organic Chemistry: A Tenth Edition. Houston, TX: OpenStax.
  4. ↑ Mó, Otilia; Yáñez, Manuel; Alkorta, Ibon; Elguero, José (2013). "Enhancing and modulating the intrinsic acidity of imidazole and pyrazole through beryllium bonds". Journal of Molecular Modeling. 19 (10): 4139–4145. doi:10.1007/s00894-012-1682-y. PMID 23292320.
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