the.com/phenol
Benzene that found religion: one OH group turns a carcinogen into an antiseptic.
means A simple aromatic compound (C6H5OH) consisting of a benzene ring bonded to a hydroxyl group, used as a disinfectant, antiseptic, and chemical building block.
from Coined in the 19th century from 'phene,' an old name for benzene itself (from Greek 'phainein,' meaning 'to shine' — benzene was linked to the luminous, illuminating gas of coal-tar distillation), plus the chemical suffix '-ol' marking an alcohol. The compound was first isolated from coal tar, and its antiseptic power was famously put to use when it was introduced into surgery to combat infection — the moment it stopped being just a reeking industrial byproduct and became medicine.
- original name
- carbolic acid, Lister's 1867 surgery disinfectant
- acidity
- weak acid, unlike alcohols it reacts with naoh
- smell test
- sweet, tarry odor, detectable at tiny concentrations
- industrial fate
- mostly becomes bakelite and aspirin precursors