pyrogallol

American  

[pahy-ruh-gal-awl, -ol, -guh-lawl, -lol] / ˌpaɪ rəˈgæl ɔl, -ɒl, -gəˈlɔl, -ˈlɒl /

noun

1. a white, crystalline, water-soluble, poisonous, solid, phenolic compound, C 6 H 3 (OH) 3 , obtained by heating gallic acid and water: used chiefly as a developer in photography, as a mordant for wool, in dyeing, and in medicine in the treatment of certain skin conditions.

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pyrogallol British  

/ ˌpaɪrəʊˈɡælɒl /

noun

1. a white lustrous crystalline soluble phenol with weakly acidic properties; 1,2,3-trihydroxybenzene: used as a photographic developer and for absorbing oxygen. Formula: C 6 H 3 (OH) 3

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Other Word Forms

• pyrogallic adjective

Etymology

Origin of pyrogallol

First recorded in 1875–80; pyro- + gall(ic) ² + -ol ¹

Example Sentences

When ozone is bubbled through a dilute pyrogallol solution, the liquid glows brightly though no heat is evolved.

From Time Magazine Archive

Of the trihydroxybenzenes pyrogallol and phloroglucinol only were included in these investigations.

From Synthetic Tannins by Grasser, Georg

The tannins are divided into two general classes, known respectively as the pyrogallol tannins and the catechol tannins.

From The Chemistry of Plant Life by Thatcher, Roscoe Wilfred

Dr. Eder has for a considerable time directed especial attention to the soda and potash developers, either of which seems to offer certain advantages over the ammoniacal pyrogallol.

From Scientific American Supplement, No. 415, December 15, 1883 by Various

The acid is a phenolic derivative of benzoic acid, viz. trihydroxybenzoic acid, and on heating it readily passes into trihydroxybenzene, which is the “pyrogallic acid” or pyrogallol familiar as a photographic developer.

From Coal and What We Get from It by Meldola, Raphael