Coniferyl alcohol modification

The lignans are a large group of plant phenolics, biosynthesized from the union of two phenylpropane molecules e.g., both matairesinol (Centaurea species, family Asteraceae) and podophyllotoxin Podophyllum peltatum, family Berberidaceae) are formed from the phenylpropane coniferyl alcohol. Lignans are essentially cinnamoyl alcohol dimers, though further cyclization and other structural modifications result in various structural types, e.g. dibenzylbutyrolactone and epoxy lignan. 

Modification of the side chain of these acids produces alcohols such as coniferyl alcohol, which act as precursors to the formation of lignins (high-molecular-weight polymers that give strength and structure to stems of herbs and tree trunks). By modification of their C3 side chains or changes in substitution patterns of their aromatic nucleus, hydroxycinnamic acids are able to form a host of secondary... 

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