Guaiacol
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guaiacol
[′gwī·ə‚kȯl]Guaiacol
an organic compound with a strong, characteristic smell. It is a monomethyl ether of pyrocatechol. Colorless crystals: melting point, 28.4° C; boiling point, 205° C. Readily soluble in ethanol and chloroform and poorly soluble in petroleum ether; it dissolves iodine and sulfur. Ferric chloride gives an alcohol solution of guaiacol a blue coloration verging on green. Guaiacol is present in the distillation products of guaiacum, in the high-boiling distillates of beech tar, and in the dry distillation products of wood of leaf-bearing and coniferous species.
Guaiacol is produced synthetically by partial methylation of pyrocatechol or by diazotization of o-anisidine and decomposition of the diazo compound with water. It is used to synthesize vanillin and medicinal preparations.