Determination of the free radical scavenging activity of dihydropyran-2,4-diones

The antioxidant activities of four synthetic dihydropyran-2,4-diones have been established through the determination of their abilities to inhibit free radicals using DPPH as the stable radical. Whilst all of the compounds exhibited high inhibition percentages, the most active member of the group was 6-phenyl-dihydropyran-2,4-dione. The antioxidant activity of the dihydropyran-2,4-diones is reported here for the first time and extends our knowledge of the range of valuable biological activities associated with this group of compounds.