phenylacetic acid

noun

Chemistry.

1. a white crystalline, aromatic acid, C 8 H 8 O 2 , used in the manufacture of penicillin and in perfumes.

Word History and Origins

Origin of phenylacetic acid¹

First recorded in 1875–80; phenyl + acetic acid

Example Sentences

The researchers purified the proteins and added them to a vial containing phenylacetic acid, the normal starting material for Phd B. But in this case the phenylacetic acid was made using carbon-13, a rare isotope of carbon that enabled Beller’s team to trace the fate of the compound as it reacted.

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Whenever they spot Escovopsis, they secrete phenylacetic acid from a special gland in their thoraxes, a strategy that kills the fungus and sets the ants apart from close relatives that cultivate bacteria and other microbes to fight off the fungi.

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The fungi are fighting back, though: The authors state that populations of the fungus living alongside the ants display an increased resistance to phenylacetic acid.

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The odor of phenylacetic acid is disagreeable and persistent.

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There are numerous other ways in which phenylacetic acid has been formed, but none of them is of practical importance for its preparation.

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