Hydrazone

Hydrazones are a class of organic compounds with the structure R
1R
2C=NNH
2. They are related to ketones and aldehydes by the replacement of the oxygen with the NNH
2 functional group. They are formed usually by the action of hydrazine on ketones or aldehydes.

Uses

The formation of aromatic hydrazone derivatives is used to measure the concentration of low molecular weight aldehydes and ketones, e.g. in gas streams. For example, dinitrophenylhydrazine coated onto a silica sorbent is the basis of an adsorption cartridge. The hydrazones are then eluted and analyzed by HPLC using a UV detector.

The compound carbonyl cyanide-p-trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone (abbreviated as FCCP) is used to uncouple ATP synthesis and reduction of oxygen in oxidative phosphorylation in molecular biology. Phenylhydrazine reacts with glucose to form an osazone.

Hydrazone-based coupling methods are used in medical biotechnology to couple drugs to targeted antibodies (see ADC), e.g. antibodies against a certain type of cancer cell. The hydrazone-based bond is stable at neutral pH (in the blood), but is rapidly destroyed in the acidic environment of lysosomes of the cell. The drug is thereby released in the cell, where it exerts its function.