catechol

[kat-i-kawl, -kol]

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

/ 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

catechol

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 .

Word History and Origins

Origin of catechol¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of catechol¹

C20: from _catechu + _-ol ¹

Example Sentences

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

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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.

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It increased most often in the presence of catechol, a large molecule in a building block of wood that was emitted by smoldering fires.

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He and Matt Coggon, a research scientist at NOAA, also found that catechol may play a key role in ozone formation related to wildfires.

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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.

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