Xanthone is an organic compound

Organic compound

An organic compound is any member of a large class of gaseous, liquid, or solid chemical compounds whose molecules contain carbon. For historical reasons discussed below, a few types of carbon-containing compounds such as carbides, carbonates, simple oxides of carbon, and cyanides, as well as the...

 with the molecular formula C₁₃H₈O₂. It can be prepared by the heating of phenyl salicylate

Phenyl salicylate

Phenyl salicylate, or salol, is a chemical substance, introduced in 1886 by Marceli Nencki of Basel. It can be created by heating salicylic acid with phenol. Once used in sunscreens, phenyl salicylate is now used in the manufacture of some polymers, lacquers, adhesives, waxes and polishes...

. In 1939, xanthone was introduced as an insecticide

Insecticide

An insecticide is a pesticide used against insects. They include ovicides and larvicides used against the eggs and larvae of insects respectively. Insecticides are used in agriculture, medicine, industry and the household. The use of insecticides is believed to be one of the major factors behind...

 and it currently finds uses as ovicide for codling moth

Codling moth

The codling moth is a member of the Lepidopteran family Tortricidae. They are known as an agricultural pest, their larva being the common apple worm or maggot. It is native to Europe and was introduced to North America, where it has become one of the regular pests of apple orchards. It is found...

 eggs and as a larvicide

Larvicide

A larvicide is an insecticide that is specifically targeted against the larval life stage of an insect. Their most common use is against mosquitoes...

. Xanthone is also used in the preparation of xanthydrol

Xanthydrol

Xanthydrol is an organic chemical compound. Its formula is C13H10O2. Its total molecular weight is 198.221 g/mol. Xanthydrol is used to test the levels of urea in the bloodstream.-Synthesis:Xanthydrol can be produced by the reduction of xanthone....

, which is used in the determination of urea

Urea

Urea or carbamide is an organic compound with the chemical formula CO2. The molecule has two —NH2 groups joined by a carbonyl functional group....

 levels in the blood.
The chemical structure of xanthone forms the central core of a variety of naturally occurring organic compounds, such as mangostin

Mangostin

Mangostin is a natural xanthonoid, a type of organic compound isolated from various parts of the mangosteen tree . It is a yellow crystalline solid with a xanthone core structure...

, which are sometimes collectively referred to as xanthones or xanthonoid

Xanthonoid

A xanthonoid is a chemical natural phenolic compound formed from the xanthone backbone. Many members of the Clusiaceae contain xanthonoids.Xanthonoid biosynthesis in cell cultures of Hypericum androsaemum involves the presence of a benzophenone synthase condensing a molecule of benzoyl-CoA with...

s.