Anisaldehyde

Anisaldehyde, or anisic aldehyde, is an organic compound that consists of a benzene ring substituted with an aldehyde and a methoxy group. It is a clear colorless liquid with a strong aroma. It comes in 3 varieties, ortho, meta, and para in which the two functional groups (methoxy and aldehyde) are alpha, beta, and gamma, respectively to each other.

Anisaldehyde is found in anise, from which it gets its name. It is similar in structure to vanillin.

Anisaldehyde is used as an intermediate in the synthesis of other compounds important in pharmaceuticals and perfumery, particularly o-anisaldehyde, which has a scent of licorice.

A solution of p-anisaldehyde in acid and ethanol is frequently used to stain Thin Layer Chromatography plates. It is a particularly useful stain because different spots on the plate can be stained different colors allowing easy differentiability.