4-Nitroindanone (4-Nitro-1-indanone) is an important chemical reagent used as a raw material in organic synthesis for the preparation of other cyclic compounds. In biology, it can inhibit the cysteine protease thioredoxin reductase and also interacts with cardiac potassium channels and is cytotoxic to human erythrocytes. In a rat model of atrial fibrillation, 4-nitro-1-indanone was found to have antiarrhythmic properties.
4-Nitroindanone is a versatile building block, capable of undergoing microwave-assisted oxidation to form ninhydrins. 4-Nitroindanone also has pharmaceutical relevance, as its thiosemicarbazone derivative has anti-Trypanosoma cruzi properties.
