Reductone redox reaction

Intramolecular redox reactions via enediol chemistry are, of course, well known. Ascorbic acid and the multitude of known related structures which readily form enediols have even been coined reductones by von Euler and Eistert. ... 

In the course of the Maillard reaction, de-oxyosones and reductones, e. g., acetylformoin (cf. Ill, Formula 4.67), are formed. They cttn react to give enol and triketo compounds via an addition with disproportionation (Formula 4.86). Redox reactions of this type can explain the formation of products which are not possible according to the reactions described till now. In fact, it has recently been found that, for example, glucose 6-phosphate and fructose-1,6-diphosphate, which occur in baker s yeast and muscle, form 4-hydroxy-2,5-dimethyl-3(2H)-furanone to a large extent. Since the formation from hexoses (or hexose phosphates) is not explainable, reduction of the intermediate acetylformoin (Formula 4.87) must have occurred. As shown, this reduction can proceed through acetylformoin itself or other reductones, e. g., ascorbic acid. Such re-... 

Fig. 8.27. Maillard reaction involved in the non-enzymic oxidative browning of plant tissues, (a) Formation of an imine by an amino acid reacting with an aldose (Ri = H) or ketose (Ri H). (b) Enolization of the imine to enaminol, then to an Amadori (Ri = H) or Heyns (Ri H) intermediate, (c) Breaking of the preceding intermediates, with the appearance of a reductone in redox equilibrium with an a-dicarbonylated compound, responsible for the non-enzymic oxidation phenomenon...

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