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barbituric acid
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Key People:
Adolf von Baeyer
Related Topics:
urea
pyrimidine
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barbituric acid

chemical compound
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History

barbituric acid, an organic compound of the pyrimidine family, a class of compounds with a characteristic six-membered ring structure composed of four carbon atoms and two nitrogen atoms, that is regarded as the parent compound of the barbiturate drugs. It is used in the production of riboflavin, a nutritional factor (see vitamin B2).