DABCO

DABCO or 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane is a chemical compound. It is used as a catalyst, particularly in making polyurethanes, and complexing ligand. DABCO is a useful catalyst in the Baylis-Hillman reaction.

DABCO is also used to adjust pH of the oxygen-sensitive resin to regulate the reaction rate in Flexplay time-limited DVDs. Antioxidants, like DABCO, are used to improve the lifetime of dyes. This makes DABCO useful in dye lasers and in mounting samples for fluorescence microscopy (when used with glycerol and PBS). DABCO can also be used to demethylate quaternary ammonium salts by heating in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF).