Quinone
/ˈkwaɪnoʊn/noun
An aromatic organic compound containing a fully conjugated cyclic diketone structure.
Did you know?The name was coined in the 19th century from quinic acid, whose own name comes from cinchona bark, the source of quinine—so even this modern lab term traces back to a medicinal tree with a powerful history.
Etymological Timeline
19th Century
French/English
quinone
“A chemical name created for a class of oxidized compounds derived from aromatic substances.”
1830s
French
quinone
“A name formed in chemistry from quinic acid, used for a related oxidized substance.”
Early 19th Century
French
quinique
“Pertaining to quinic acid, a compound isolated from cinchona bark.”
17th Century
Spanish
quina
“Cinchona bark, valued medicinally for treating fevers.”
17th Century
Quechua/Spanish
kina
“The cinchona tree or its bark.”