shikimic acid

An aromatic acid, abundant in certain higher plants, that is an intermediate in the synthesis of the aromatic amino acids phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan. It is also an intermediate in the synthesis of lignin and of the electron carriers ubiquinone and plastoquinone. The shikimic acid pathway is the normal route for the synthesis of phenolics and is one of the few pathways in which aromatic compounds are formed from aliphatic precursors.