Abstract
Degradation of dialdehyde starch with sodium sulfite gave rise to tetrahydroxybenzoquinone which was separated and characterized with its anilide derivative and its barium salt. The present views attribute the simultaneous conversion of the glyoxal moiety into tetrahydroxybenzoquinone to the formation of a transition intermediate containing bisulfite radical which under the alkaline conditions of the reaction gives rise to tetrahydroxybenzoquinone. This mechanism was confirmed by preparing monobisulfite dialdehyde starch which is degraded with sodium hydroxide giving rise to tetrahydroxybenzoquinone. All dialdehyde polysaccharides or glycosides tested and containing glyoxal moiety gave rise to tetrahydroxybenzoquinone while dialdehydes devoid of the glyoxal moiety such as inulin dialdehyde failed to give positive results.

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