phenol

phenol (fē`nōl), C₆H₅OH, a colorless, crystalline solid that melts at about 41°C;, boils at 182°C;, and is soluble in ethanol and ether and somewhat soluble in water. An aromatic alcohol, it exhibits weak acidic properties and is corrosive and poisonous. Phenol is sometimes called carbolic acid, especially when in water solution. It reacts with strong bases to form salts called phenolates. Phenol is important in industry in the production of certain artificial resins, e.g., Bakelite, and in the synthesis of many drugs, dyes, weed killers, insecticides, and explosives (e.g., picric acid). It is the simplest member of a class of hydroxy benzene derivatives, all of which contain a hydroxyl group attached to a benzene ring; these compounds may be thought of as derivatives of phenol and generically are called phenols.

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phenol

Any of a class of organic compounds with a hydroxyl group (−OH; see functional group) attached to a carbon atom in a ring of an aromatic compound. The simplest one, carbolic acid (C₆H₅OH), is also called phenol; its most important reaction is with formaldehyde, with which it forms widely used polymers called phenol-formaldehyde (phenolic) resins. Phenols are similar to alcohols but form stronger hydrogen bonds (see bonding), so they dissolve more readily in water and boil at higher temperatures. They may be colourless liquids or white solids; many have a sharp, spicy odour. Some are found in essential oils. Phenols with higher molecular weights and phenol derivatives have supplanted phenol itself as industrial antiseptics (germicidal cleaners). See also Leo Baekeland.