Relating to or describing a compound that has both an amino group and a benzoic acid structure, like para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) used in sunscreens.
From amino- + benzoic (from benzoic acid, named after benzoin). Created as chemists began systematically describing molecular structures with functional group prefixes in the 1800s.
PABA, the para isomer of aminobenzoic acid, is so effective at blocking UV rays that it was used in sunscreen for decades—until people realized the human body converts it into folic acid, making it essentially a vitamin disguised as a sunscreen.
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