Guaiacol

guaiacol

[′gwī·ə‚kȯl]

(organic chemistry)

C₆H₄(OH)OCH₃ A colorless, crystalline compound, soluble in water; used as a reagent to determine the presence of such substances as lignin, narceine, and nitrous acid.

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.