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catechol

American  
[kat-i-kawl, -kol] / ˈkæt ɪˌkɔl, -ˌkɒl /

noun

  1. a colorless, crystalline, dihydroxyl derivative of benzene, C 6 H 6 O 2 , the ortho isomer, used chiefly in photography, for dyeing, and as a reagent; pyrocatechol.


catechol British  
/ ˈkætɪˌtʃɒl, -ˌkɒl /

noun

  1. Also called: pyrocatechol.  a colourless crystalline phenol found in resins and lignins; 1,2-dihydroxybenzene. It is used as a photographic developer. Formula: C 6 H 4 (OH) 2

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

catechol Scientific  
/ kătĭ-kôl′,-kōl′ /
  1. A biologically important organic phenol occurring naturally in lignins and resins. It has two hydroxyl groups attached to a benzene ring. Catechol is very caustic and is used in dyeing and as a photographic developer and an antiseptic. Chemical formula: C 6 H 6 O 2 .


Etymology

Origin of catechol

First recorded in 1875–80; catech(u) + -ol 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Several drugs, including entacapone, contain metal-binding catechol groups, suggesting that this mechanism could be a more common pathway for drug-induced microbiome alterations.

From Science Daily Nov. 21, 2024

Such antimicrobial activity was attributed to a direct contact killing process, where the pathogen is initially attached to the coating by catechol molecules and other polyphenol derivatives.

From Science Daily Feb. 1, 2024

The chart measured the molecular composition of hundreds of different VOCs, but Coggon’s eyes were fixed on catechol, which was now at very high volumes and ticking down rapidly.

From Scientific American Sep. 12, 2022

But Coggon had his suspicions about where the catechol was going.

From Scientific American Sep. 12, 2022

"Quercitannic acid," obtained from oak bark, etc., is likewise a catechol tannin.

From The Chemistry of Plant Life by Roscoe Wilfred Thatcher

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