Phenol, also known as
carbolic acid,
phenic acid, is an
organic compoundAn organic compound is any member of a large class of gaseous, liquid, or solid chemical compounds whose molecules contain carbon. For historical reasons discussed below, a few types of carbon-containing compounds such as carbides, carbonates, simple oxides of carbon, and cyanides, as well as the...
with the
chemical formulaA chemical formula or molecular formula is a way of expressing information about the atoms that constitute a particular chemical compound....
C
6H
5OH. It is a white
crystalA crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituent atoms, molecules, or ions are arranged in an orderly repeating pattern extending in all three spatial dimensions. The scientific study of crystals and crystal formation is known as crystallography...
line
solidSolid is one of the three classical states of matter . It is characterized by structural rigidity and resistance to changes of shape or volume. Unlike a liquid, a solid object does not flow to take on the shape of its container, nor does it expand to fill the entire volume available to it like a...
. The molecule consists of a
phenylIn organic chemistry, the phenyl group or phenyl ring is a cyclic group of atoms with the formula C6H5. Phenyl groups are closely related to benzene. Phenyl groups have six carbon atoms bonded together in a hexagonal planar ring, five of which are bonded to individual hydrogen atoms, with the...
(-C
6H
5), bonded to a
hydroxylA hydroxyl is a chemical group containing an oxygen atom covalently bonded with a hydrogen atom. In inorganic chemistry, the hydroxyl group is known as the hydroxide ion, and scientists and reference works generally use these different terms though they refer to the same chemical structure in...
(-OH) group. It is produced on a large scale (about 7 billion kg/year) as a precursor to many materials and useful compounds. It is only mildly acidic but requires careful handling due to its propensity to cause burns.
Phenol was first extracted from
coal tarCoal tar is a brown or black liquid of extremely high viscosity, which smells of naphthalene and aromatic hydrocarbons. Coal tar is among the by-products when coal iscarbonized to make coke or gasified to make coal gas...
, and its major uses involve its conversion to plastics or related materials. Phenols are key for building
polycarbonatePolycarbonatePhysical PropertiesDensity 1.20–1.22 g/cm3Abbe number 34.0Refractive index 1.584–1.586FlammabilityV0-V2Limiting oxygen index25–27%Water absorption – Equilibrium0.16–0.35%Water absorption – over 24 hours0.1%...
s, epoxies,
Bakelite,
nylonNylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers known generically as polyamides, first produced on February 28, 1935, by Wallace Carothers at DuPont's research facility at the DuPont Experimental Station...
, detergents and a large collection of drugs, herbicides and pharmaceuticals.
Properties
Phenol is appreciably
solubleSolubility is the property of a solid, liquid, or gaseous chemical substance called solute to dissolve in a solid, liquid, or gaseous solvent to form a homogeneous solution of the solute in the solvent. The solubility of a substance fundamentally depends on the used solvent as well as on...
in water, with about 8.3 g dissolving in 100 mL (0.88
M). The sodium salt of phenol, sodium phenoxide, is far more water soluble.
Acidity
It is slightly acidic: the phenol molecules have weak tendencies to lose the H
+ ion from the hydroxyl group, resulting in the highly water-soluble
phenolate anion C
6H
5O
− (also called
phenoxide). Compared to aliphatic
alcoholIn chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
s, phenol is about 1 million times more acidic, although it is still considered a weak acid. It reacts completely with aqueous
NaOH to lose H
+, whereas most
alcoholIn chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
s react only partially. Phenols are less acidic than
carboxylic acidCarboxylic acids are organic acids characterized by the presence of at least one carboxyl group. The general formula of a carboxylic acid is R-COOH, where R is some monovalent functional group...
s, and even
carbonic acidCarbonic acid is the inorganic compound with the formula H2CO3 . It is also a name sometimes given to solutions of carbon dioxide in water, because such solutions contain small amounts of H2CO3. Carbonic acid forms two kinds of salts, the carbonates and the bicarbonates...
.
One explanation for the increased acidity over alcohols is resonance stabilization of the phenoxide anion by the aromatic ring. In this way, the negative charge on oxygen is shared by the
orthoArene substitution patterns are part of organic chemistry IUPAC nomenclature and pinpoint the position of substituents other than hydrogen in relation to each other on an aromatic hydrocarbon.- Ortho, meta, and para substitution :...
and
paraArene substitution patterns are part of organic chemistry IUPAC nomenclature and pinpoint the position of substituents other than hydrogen in relation to each other on an aromatic hydrocarbon.- Ortho, meta, and para substitution :...
carbon atoms. In another explanation, increased acidity is the result of orbital overlap between the oxygen's lone pairs and the aromatic system. In a third, the dominant effect is the
inductionIn chemistry and physics, the inductive effect is an experimentally observable effect of the transmission of charge through a chain of atoms in a molecule by electrostatic induction...
from the
sp2 hybridised carbonsIn chemistry, hybridisation is the concept of mixing atomic orbitals to form new hybrid orbitals suitable for the qualitative description of atomic bonding properties. Hybridised orbitals are very useful in the explanation of the shape of molecular orbitals for molecules. It is an integral part...
; the comparatively more powerful inductive withdrawal of electron density that is provided by the sp
2 system compared to an sp
3 system allows for great stabilization of the oxyanion.
In making this conclusion, one can examine the
pKaAn acid dissociation constant, Ka, is a quantitative measure of the strength of an acid in solution. It is the equilibrium constant for a chemical reaction known as dissociation in the context of acid-base reactions...
of the
enolEnols are alkenes with a hydroxyl group affixed to one of the carbon atoms composing the double bond. Alkenes with a hydroxyl group on both sides of the double bond are called enediols. Deprotonated anions of enols are called enolates...
of
acetoneAcetone is the organic compound with the formula 2CO, a colorless, mobile, flammable liquid, the simplest example of the ketones.Acetone is miscible with water and serves as an important solvent in its own right, typically as the solvent of choice for cleaning purposes in the laboratory...
, which is 19.0, in comparison to phenol with a pK
a of 10.0. However, this similarity of acidities of phenol and acetone enol is not observed in the gas phase, and is because the difference of solvation energies of the deprotonated acetone enol and phenoxide almost exactly offsets the experimentally observed gas phase acidity difference. It has recently been shown that only about 1/3 of the increased acidity of phenol is due to inductive effects, with resonance accounting for the rest.
Phenoxide anion
Phenol can be deprotonated with moderate base such as
triethylamineTriethylamine is the chemical compound with the formula N3, commonly abbreviated Et3N. It is also abbreviated TEA, yet this abbreviation must be used carefully to avoid confusion with triethanolamine, for which TEA is also a common abbreviation....
, forming the nucleophilic
phenoxide anion or
phenolate anion, which is highly water-soluble.
The phenoxide anion has a similar nucleophilicity to free
amineAmines are organic compounds and functional groups that contain a basic nitrogen atom with a lone pair. Amines are derivatives of ammonia, wherein one or more hydrogen atoms have been replaced by a substituent such as an alkyl or aryl group. Important amines include amino acids, biogenic amines,...
s, with the further advantage that its conjugate acid (neutral phenol) does not become entirely deactivated as a
nucleophileA nucleophile is a species that donates an electron-pair to an electrophile to form a chemical bond in a reaction. All molecules or ions with a free pair of electrons can act as nucleophiles. Because nucleophiles donate electrons, they are by definition Lewis bases.Nucleophilic describes the...
even in moderately acidic conditions. Phenols are sometimes used in
peptide synthesisIn organic chemistry, peptide synthesis is the production of peptides, which are organic compounds in which multiple amino acids are linked via amide bonds which are also known as peptide bonds...
to "activate" carboxylic acids or esters to form activated esters. Phenolate esters are far more stable than acid anhydrides or
acyl halideAn acyl halide is a chemical compound derived from an oxoacid by replacing a hydroxyl group with a halide group....
s but are sufficiently reactive under mild conditions to facilitate the formation of
amideIn chemistry, an amide is an organic compound that contains the functional group consisting of a carbonyl group linked to a nitrogen atom . The term refers both to a class of compounds and a functional group within those compounds. The term amide also refers to deprotonated form of ammonia or an...
bonds.
Phenoxides are enolates stabilised by
aromaticityIn organic chemistry, Aromaticity is a chemical property in which a conjugated ring of unsaturated bonds, lone pairs, or empty orbitals exhibit a stabilization stronger than would be expected by the stabilization of conjugation alone. The earliest use of the term was in an article by August...
. Under normal circumstances, phenoxide is more reactive at the oxygen position, but the oxygen position is a "hard" nucleophile whereas the alpha-carbon positions tend to be "soft".
Tautomerism
Phenol exhibits
keto-enol tautomerismIn organic chemistry, keto-enol tautomerism refers to a chemical equilibrium between a keto form and an enol . The enol and keto forms are said to be tautomers of each other...
with its unstable keto tautomer cyclohexadienone, but only a tiny fraction of phenol exists as the keto form. The equilibrium constant for enolisation is approximately 10
−13, meaning that only one in every ten trillion molecules is in the keto form at any moment. The small amount of stabilisation gained by exchanging a C=C bond for a C=O bond is more than offset by the large destabilisation resulting from the loss of aromaticity. Phenol therefore exists entirely in the enol form.
Reactions
Phenol is highly reactive toward
electrophilic aromatic substitutionElectrophilic aromatic substitution EAS is an organic reaction in which an atom, usually hydrogen, appended to an aromatic system is replaced by an electrophile...
as the oxygen atom's pi electrons donate electron density into the ring. By this general approach, many groups can be appended to the ring, via
halogenationHalogenation is a chemical reaction that incorporates a halogen atom into a molecule in substitution of hydrogen atom. Halogenation takes place in the gas phase. There are four types of halogenation: fluorination, chlorination, bromination, and iodination...
,
acylationIn chemistry, acylation is the process of adding an acyl group to a compound. The compound providing the acyl group is called the acylating agent....
, sulfonation, and other processes. However, phenol's ring is so strongly activated - second only to
anilineAniline, phenylamine or aminobenzene is an organic compound with the formula C6H5NH2. Consisting of a phenyl group attached to an amino group, aniline is the prototypical aromatic amine. Being a precursor to many industrial chemicals, its main use is in the manufacture of precursors to polyurethane...
- that bromination or chlorination of phenol leads to substitution on all carbons ortho and para to the hydroxy group, not only on one carbon.
Production
Because of phenol's commercial importance, many methods have been developed for its production. The main route, accounting for 95% of production (2003), involves the partial
oxidationRedox reactions describe all chemical reactions in which atoms have their oxidation state changed....
of
cumeneCumene is the common name for isopropylbenzene, an organic compound that is an aromatic hydrocarbon. It is a constituent of crude oil and refined fuels. It is a flammable colorless liquid that has a boiling point of 152 °C...
(isopropylbenzene) via the Hock rearrangement:
- C6H5CH(CH3)2 + O2 → C6H5OH + (CH3)2CO
An early commercial route begins with the reaction of strong base with benzenesulfonate:
- C6H5SO3H + 2 NaOH → C6H5OH + Na2SO3 + H2O
Other methods under consideration involve:
- hydrolysis of chlorobenzene
Chlorobenzene is an aromatic organic compound with the chemical formula C6H5Cl. This colorless, flammable liquid is a common solvent and a widely used intermediate in the manufacture of other chemicals.-Uses:...
, using base or steam (Raschig-Hooker processThe Raschig process is a chemical process for producing hydroxylamine...
):
- C6H5Cl + H2O → C6H5OH + HCl
- direct oxidation of benzene
Benzene is an organic chemical compound. It is composed of 6 carbon atoms in a ring, with 1 hydrogen atom attached to each carbon atom, with the molecular formula C6H6....
with nitrous oxideNitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas or sweet air, is a chemical compound with the formula . It is an oxide of nitrogen. At room temperature, it is a colorless non-flammable gas, with a slightly sweet odor and taste. It is used in surgery and dentistry for its anesthetic and analgesic...
, a potentially "green" process:
- C6H6 + N2O → C6H5OH + N2
- oxidation of toluene
Toluene, formerly known as toluol, is a clear, water-insoluble liquid with the typical smell of paint thinners. It is a mono-substituted benzene derivative, i.e., one in which a single hydrogen atom from the benzene molecule has been replaced by a univalent group, in this case CH3.It is an aromatic...
, as developed by Dow Chemical:
- C6H5CH3 + 2 O2 → C6H5OH + CO2 + H2O
In the Lummus Process, the oxidation of toluene to
benzoic acidBenzoic acid , C7H6O2 , is a colorless crystalline solid and the simplest aromatic carboxylic acid. The name derived from gum benzoin, which was for a long time the only source for benzoic acid. Its salts are used as a food preservative and benzoic acid is an important precursor for the synthesis...
is conducted separately.
Phenol is also recoverable byproduct of
coalCoal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
pyrolysis.
Uses
The major uses of phenol, consuming two thirds of its production, involve its conversion to plastics or related materials.
CondensationA condensation reaction is a chemical reaction in which two molecules or moieties combine to form one single molecule, together with the loss of a small molecule. When this small molecule is water, it is known as a dehydration reaction; other possible small molecules lost are hydrogen chloride,...
with acetone gives bisphenol-A, a key precursor to
polycarbonatePolycarbonatePhysical PropertiesDensity 1.20–1.22 g/cm3Abbe number 34.0Refractive index 1.584–1.586FlammabilityV0-V2Limiting oxygen index25–27%Water absorption – Equilibrium0.16–0.35%Water absorption – over 24 hours0.1%...
s and
epoxideEpoxy, also known as polyepoxide, is a thermosetting polymer formed from reaction of an epoxide "resin" with polyamine "hardener". Epoxy has a wide range of applications, including fiber-reinforced plastic materials and general purpose adhesives....
resins. Condensation with
formaldehydeFormaldehyde is an organic compound with the formula CH2O. It is the simplest aldehyde, hence its systematic name methanal.Formaldehyde is a colorless gas with a characteristic pungent odor. It is an important precursor to many other chemical compounds, especially for polymers...
gives phenolic resins, a famous example of which is
Bakelite. Hydrogenation of phenol gives
cyclohexanoneCyclohexanone is the organic compound with the formula 5CO. The molecule consists of six-carbon cyclic molecule with a ketone functional group. This colorless oil has an odor reminiscent of peardrop sweets as well as acetone. Over time, samples assume a yellow color due to oxidation...
, a precursor to
nylonNylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers known generically as polyamides, first produced on February 28, 1935, by Wallace Carothers at DuPont's research facility at the DuPont Experimental Station...
. Nonionic
detergentA detergent is a surfactant or a mixture of surfactants with "cleaning properties in dilute solutions." In common usage, "detergent" refers to alkylbenzenesulfonates, a family of compounds that are similar to soap but are less affected by hard water...
s are produced by alkylation of phenol to give the
alkylphenolAlkylphenols are a family of organic compounds obtained by the alkylation of phenols. The term is usually reserved for commercially important propylphenol, butylphenol, amylphenol, heptylphenol, octylphenol, nonylphenol, dodecylphenol and related "long chain alkylphenols"...
s, e.g.,
nonylphenolNonylphenol is a family of closely related organic compounds, a subset of the alkylphenols. This collection of compounds is a precursor to commercially important detergents...
, which are then subjected to
ethoxylationEthoxylation is an industrial process in which ethylene oxide is added to alcohols and phenols to give surfactants. The invention of the process is attributed to Schöller and Wittwer at I.G. Farben industrie.-Production:...
.
Phenol is also a versatile precursor to a large collection of drugs, most notably
aspirinAspirin , also known as acetylsalicylic acid , is a salicylate drug, often used as an analgesic to relieve minor aches and pains, as an antipyretic to reduce fever, and as an anti-inflammatory medication. It was discovered by Arthur Eichengrun, a chemist with the German company Bayer...
but also many
herbicideHerbicides, also commonly known as weedkillers, are pesticides used to kill unwanted plants. Selective herbicides kill specific targets while leaving the desired crop relatively unharmed. Some of these act by interfering with the growth of the weed and are often synthetic "imitations" of plant...
s and pharmaceuticals. Phenol is also used as an oral anesthetic/analgesic, commonly used to temporarily treat
pharyngitisPharyngitis is an inflammation of the throat or pharynx. In most cases it is quite painful, and is the most common cause of a sore throat.Like many types of inflammation, pharyngitis can be acute – characterized by a rapid onset and typically a relatively short course – or chronic....
.
Niche uses
Phenol is so inexpensive that it attracts many small-scale uses. It once was widely used as an antiseptic, especially as
Carbolic soapCarbolic soap is a mildly disinfectant soap containing carbolic acid . Once widely available in the United States and the most common disinfectant cleaner in hospitals, it has disappeared from all but specialty retail stores. It is distributed to disaster victims for routine hygiene by the Red...
, from the early 1900s through the 1970s. It is a component of industrial
paint stripperPaint stripper, or paint remover, is the generic name given to solvent mixtures designed to remove paint and other finishes and also to clean the underlying surface. The principal active ingredient is usually dichloromethane...
s used in the aviation industry for the removal of epoxy, polyurethane and other chemically resistant coatings.
Phenol derivatives are also used in the preparation of
cosmeticsCosmetics are substances used to enhance the appearance or odor of the human body. Cosmetics include skin-care creams, lotions, powders, perfumes, lipsticks, fingernail and toe nail polish, eye and facial makeup, towelettes, permanent waves, colored contact lenses, hair colors, hair sprays and...
including
sunscreenSunblock is a lotion, spray, gel or other topical product that absorbs or reflects some of the sun's ultraviolet radiation on the skin exposed to sunlight and thus helps protect against sunburn...
s, hair dyes, and skin lightening preparations.
History
Phenol was discovered in 1834, when it was extracted from
coal tarCoal tar is a brown or black liquid of extremely high viscosity, which smells of naphthalene and aromatic hydrocarbons. Coal tar is among the by-products when coal iscarbonized to make coke or gasified to make coal gas...
, which remained the primary source until the development of the petrochemical industry.
The
antisepticAntiseptics are antimicrobial substances that are applied to living tissue/skin to reduce the possibility of infection, sepsis, or putrefaction...
properties of phenol were used by Sir
Joseph ListerJoseph Lister, 1st Baron Lister OM, FRS, PC , known as Sir Joseph Lister, Bt., between 1883 and 1897, was a British surgeon and a pioneer of antiseptic surgery, who promoted the idea of sterile surgery while working at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary...
(1827–1912) in his pioneering technique of antiseptic surgery, although the skin irritation caused by continual exposure to phenol eventually led to the substitution of aseptic (germ-free) techniques in surgery. Lister decided that the wounds themselves had to be thoroughly cleaned. He then covered the wounds with a piece of rag or lint covered in phenol, or carbolic acid as he called it. It is also the active ingredient in some oral analgesics such as
ChlorasepticChloraseptic is an American brand of oral analgesic produced by Prestige Brands Inc, used for the relief of minor sore throat and mouth pain. Its active ingredient is phenol, a compound whose antiseptic properties were discovered by Sir Joseph Lister....
spray as well as
CarmexCarmex is a brand of lip balm meant to eliminate cold sores and soothe dry/chapped lips. It is sold in jars, sticks, and squeezable tubes.-History:...
. Phenol was also the main ingredient of the Carbolic Smoke Ball, an ineffective device marketed in London in the 19th century as protecting the user against influenza and other ailments, and the subject of a famous law case.
Second World War
Injections of phenol have occasionally been used as a means of execution. In particular, phenol and cyanide injections were used as a means of individual execution by the Nazis during the Second World War. Originally used by the Nazis in 1939 as part of
Action T4Action T4 was the name used after World War II for Nazi Germany's eugenics-based "euthanasia" program during which physicians killed thousands of people who were "judged incurably sick, by critical medical examination"...
, phenol, inexpensive, easy to make and quickly lethal, became the injectable toxin of choice as part of Nazi Germany's "
euthanasiaEuthanasia refers to the practice of intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain and suffering....
" program. Although Zyklon-B pellets, invented by Gerhard Lenz, were used in the gas chambers to exterminate large groups of people, the Nazis learned that extermination of smaller groups was more economical via injection of each victim, one at a time, with phenol. Phenol injections were given to thousands of people in
concentration campsNazi Germany maintained concentration camps throughout the territories it controlled. The first Nazi concentration camps set up in Germany were greatly expanded after the Reichstag fire of 1933, and were intended to hold political prisoners and opponents of the regime...
, especially at Auschwitz-Birkenau. Approximately one gram is enough to cause death. Injections were administered by medical doctors, their
assistantA physician assistant/associate ' is a healthcare professional trained and licensed to practice medicine with limited supervision by a physician.-General description:...
s, or sometimes prisoner doctors; such injections were originally given
intravenousIntravenous therapy or IV therapy is the infusion of liquid substances directly into a vein. The word intravenous simply means "within a vein". Therapies administered intravenously are often called specialty pharmaceuticals...
ly, more commonly in the arm, but injection directly into the
heartThe heart is a myogenic muscular organ found in all animals with a circulatory system , that is responsible for pumping blood throughout the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions...
, so as to induce nearly instant
deathDeath is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
, was later adopted.
One of the best known inmates to be executed with a phenol injection in Auschwitz was St. Maximilian Kolbe, a Catholic priest who volunteered to undergo three weeks of starvation and dehydration in the place of another inmate.
Occurrence
Phenol is a measurable component in the aroma and taste of the distinctive
Islay scotch whiskyIslay whisky is Scotch whisky made on Islay or Ìle in Gaelic, the southernmost of the Inner Hebridean Islands located off the west coast of Scotland. There are eight active distilleries on the island, as of early 2008, with a ninth being made ready for production...
, generally ~30, but up to 100 ppm.
Toxicity
Phenol and its vapors are corrosive to the eyes, the skin, and the respiratory tract. Repeated or prolonged skin contact with phenol may cause
dermatitis-Etymology:Dermatitis derives from Greek derma "skin" + -itis "inflammation" and genetic disorder.-Terminology:There are several different types of dermatitis. The different kinds usually have in common an allergic reaction to specific allergens. The term may describe eczema, which is also called...
, or even second and third-degree burns due to phenol's caustic and defatting properties. Inhalation of phenol vapor may cause lung
edemaEdema or oedema ; both words from the Greek , oídēma "swelling"), formerly known as dropsy or hydropsy, is an abnormal accumulation of fluid beneath the skin or in one or more cavities of the body that produces swelling...
. The substance may cause harmful effects on the central nervous system and heart, resulting in
dysrhythmiaDysrhythmia is an American instrumental progressive metal band formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1998. The band's music combines avant-garde elements of progressive rock and jazz with heavy metal...
,
seizureAn epileptic seizure, occasionally referred to as a fit, is defined as a transient symptom of "abnormal excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain". The outward effect can be as dramatic as a wild thrashing movement or as mild as a brief loss of awareness...
s, and
comaIn medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
. The kidneys may be affected as well. Exposure may result in death and the effects may be delayed. Long-term or repeated exposure of the substance may have harmful effects on the
liverThe liver is a vital organ present in vertebrates and some other animals. It has a wide range of functions, including detoxification, protein synthesis, and production of biochemicals necessary for digestion...
and kidneys." There is no evidence to believe that phenol causes
cancerCancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in humans. Besides its hydrophobic effects, another mechanism for the toxicity of phenol may be the formation of phenoxyl radicals.
Chemical burnA chemical burn occurs when living tissue is exposed to a corrosive substance such as a strong acid or base. Chemical burns follow standard burn classification and may cause extensive tissue damage. The main types of irritant and/or corrosive products are: acids, bases, oxidizers, solvents,...
s from
skinThe human skin is the outer covering of the body. In humans, it is the largest organ of the integumentary system. The skin has multiple layers of ectodermal tissue and guards the underlying muscles, bones, ligaments and internal organs. Human skin is similar to that of most other mammals,...
exposures can be decontaminated by washing with
polyethylene glycolPolyethylene glycol is a polyether compound with many applications from industrial manufacturing to medicine. It has also been known as polyethylene oxide or polyoxyethylene , depending on its molecular weight, and under the tradename Carbowax.-Available forms:PEG, PEO, or POE refers to an...
,
isopropyl alcoholIsopropyl alcohol is a common name for a chemical compound with the molecular formula C3H8O. It is a colorless, flammable chemical compound with a strong odor...
, or perhaps even copious amounts of water. Removal of contaminated clothing is required, as well as immediate
hospitalA hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
treatment for large splashes. This is particularly important if the phenol is mixed with
chloroformPhenol–chloroform extraction is a liquid–liquid extraction technique in biochemistry. It is widely used in molecular biology for isolating DNA, RNA and protein. Equal volumes of a phenol:chloroform mixture and an aqueous sample are mixed, forming a biphasic mixture...
(a commonly-used mixture in molecular biology for
DNADeoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
&
RNARibonucleic acid , or RNA, is one of the three major macromolecules that are essential for all known forms of life....
purification from proteins).
Phenols
The word
phenol is also used to refer to any compound that contains a six-membered aromatic ring, bonded directly to a hydroxyl group (-OH). Thus, phenols are a class of
organic compoundAn organic compound is any member of a large class of gaseous, liquid, or solid chemical compounds whose molecules contain carbon. For historical reasons discussed below, a few types of carbon-containing compounds such as carbides, carbonates, simple oxides of carbon, and cyanides, as well as the...
s of which the phenol discussed in this article is the simplest member.
See also
- Bamberger rearrangement
The Bamberger rearrangement is the chemical reaction of N-phenylhydroxylamines with strong aqueous acid, which will rearrange to give 4-aminophenols...
- Claisen rearrangement
The Claisen rearrangement is a powerful carbon-carbon bond-forming chemical reaction discovered by Rainer Ludwig Claisen...
- Cresols
- Fries rearrangement
The Fries rearrangement, named for the German chemist Karl Theophil Fries, is a rearrangement reaction of a phenyl ester to a hydroxy aryl ketone by catalysis of Lewis acids.It involves migration of an acyl group of phenyl ester to benzene ring.- Mechanism:...
- Polyphenol
Polyphenols are a structural class of natural, synthetic, and semisynthetic organic chemicals characterized by the presence of large multiples of phenol structural units...
External links