phenol
Also called carbolic acid, hydroxybenzene, oxybenzene, phenylic acid. a white, crystalline, water-soluble, poisonous mass, C6H5OH, obtained from coal tar, or a hydroxyl derivative of benzene: used chiefly as a disinfectant, as an antiseptic, and in organic synthesis.
any analogous hydroxyl derivative of benzene.
Origin of phenol
1Other words from phenol
- phe·no·lic [fi-noh-lik, -nol-ik], /fɪˈnoʊ lɪk, -ˈnɒl ɪk/, adjective
- non·phe·no·lic, adjective
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How to use phenol in a sentence
The organic compounds known as phenols (found in both) stabilize cholesterol levels when consumed together.
So far only the diselenides of anthraquinone and their phenols are recognized remedies.
The indifferent portion was found to contain about 50 percent furfuryl alcohol, together with a number of phenols.
All About Coffee | William H. UkersAcid anhydrides replace the imino-hydrogen atom by acidyl radicals, and boiling with water converts them into phenols.
The latter, which is a disulpho-acid as well as a diamido-compound, can be diazotised and combined with phenols, &c.
Coal | Raphael Meldola
Now these phenols are all more or less acid in character by virtue of the hydroxyl-group which they contain.
Coal | Raphael Meldola
British Dictionary definitions for phenol
/ (ˈfiːnɒl) /
Also called: carbolic acid a white crystalline soluble poisonous acidic derivative of benzene, used as an antiseptic and disinfectant and in the manufacture of resins, nylon, dyes, explosives, and pharmaceuticals; hydroxybenzene. Formula: C 6 H 5 OH
chem any of a class of weakly acidic organic compounds whose molecules contain one or more hydroxyl groups bound directly to a carbon atom in an aromatic ring
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
Scientific definitions for phenol
[ fē′nôl′, -nōl′ ]
Any of a class of organic compounds that contain a hydroxyl group (OH) attached to a carbon atom that is part of an aromatic ring. Phenols are similar to alcohols but are more soluble in water, and occur as colorless solids or liquids at room temperature. Some phenols occur naturally in the essential oils of plants. Phenols are used in industry to make plastics and detergents.
The simplest phenol, consisting of a benzene ring attached to a hydroxyl group (OH). It is a poisonous, white, crystalline compound and is used to make plastics and drugs. Also called carbolic acid. Chemical formula: C6H6O.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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