Phenol

 

Phenol

Chemical formula	{{#Chem:C6H5OH}}
OTP appearance	white crystalline solid
Index of refraction	1.5425
Molar Mass(g/mol)	94.11
Density(g/cc)	1.07
Melting Point(°C)	40.5
Boiling Point(°C)	181.7
Solubility in water(g/L)	83
NFPA 704	2 3 0 COR

Uses

Justification Questioned

Other

• Cleaning
• Antiseptic
• Naturally occurring, easily obtainable aromatic compound for organic syntheses, e.g. 2,6-xylenol.

Natural occurrence

• Phenol occurs naturally in tars and crude oil

Hazards

• Toxic
• Flammable
• Corrosive

Production

Extraction

cf wood distillation

Coal Tar

1. distill coal tar and retain what distills between 170° and 230°C
2. redistill and retain what distills between 180°C and 183°C

Synthesis

• From salicylic acid via thermal decomposition

  {{#Chem: C7H6O3(s) { = 145-165°C } C6H5OH(l) + CO2(g) }}

• From benzene via sulfuric acid and sodium hydroxide

  {{#Chem: C6H6 + H2SO4 = C6H5SO3H + H2O}}

  {{#Chem: C6H5SO3H + 2 NaOH → C6H5OH + Na2SO3 + H2O }}

• From benzene via Fenton's reagent:

  {{#Chem:c6h6 + H2O2 + FeSO4 = C7H5OH}}

• From benzene and nitrous oxide

  {{#Chem: C6H6 + N2O = C6H5OH + NO}}

• From oxidation of toluene (DOW Chemical process)

  {{#Chem: C6H5CH3 + 2 O2 → C6H5OH + CO2 + H2O }}