Product Name : Phenol
Synonyms : Phenyl Alcohol, Phenyl Hydrate, Fenol, Fenolo, Carbolic acid, Phenylic acid, Hydroxybenzene, Monohydroxybenzene, Phenyl hydroxide
A Brief History : Friedlieb Ferdinand Runge discovered phenol in 1834. He extracted phenol from coal tar and called it “Karbolasäure”. Phenol in its purest form was obtained by the French chemist Auguste Laurent in 1841. In 1843, French chemist Charles Gerhardt coined the name "phénol". Sir Joseph Lister used the antiseptic properties of phenol in his antiseptic surgery. During the Second World War, the Nazis used to exterminate individuals by injecting them with phenol. Phenol injections were given to thousands of people, especially at Auschwitz-Birkenau.
About the Product : Phenol is the simplest aromatic alcohol characterized by a hydroxyl (-OH) group. It is a white crystalline solid that is volatile & is obtained from the basic raw materials of benzene and propylene. Sometimes Phenol in water solution is also called as carbolic acid. These materials are first used to produce cumene, which is then oxidized to become cumene hydroperoxide, before being split into phenol and its co-product, acetone. Phenol is typically a solid at room temperature as it solidifies at 41°C (106 °F). Most of it is consumed molten as a clear, colorless liquid. It is both the simplest hydroxybenzene and the most commercially important.
Product Identification Features :
CAS number: 108-95-2
Chemical formula: C6H5OH
H.S Code: 2907.11
CHEMICAL PROPERTIES:
Specific Gravity: 1.07
Solubility in Water: 8g/100 ml (easily soluble in alcohol)
Vapour Density: 3.2
Melting Point: 40-43 C
Boiling Point: 181 C
Uses : Phenol plays a major role, in our everyday lives. It is an important raw material for a few items like Plywood, window glazing, DVDs and CDs, computers and sports equipment. Currently, and nearly all world production of phenol is via cumene per oxidation, with acetone as a co product. Its is majorly used as a chemical intermediate in the manufacture of Bisphenol A, phenol-formaldehyde resins, Caprolactum, alkyl phenols, aniline and 2,6-xylenol.
Production Process : The most commonly used method to produce phenol is by partial oxidation of cumene (isopropylbenzene) via the Hock rearrangement.
C6H5CH(CH3)2 + O2 → C6H5OH + (CH3)2CO
Other process that was used earlier, developed by Bayer and Monsanto in the early 1900s, begins with the reaction of a strong base with benzenesulfonate.
C6H5SO3H + 2 NaOH → C6H5OH + Na2SO3 + H2O
Some other methods include:
hydrolysis of chlorobenzene, using base or steam (Raschig-Hooker process)
C6H5Cl + H2O → C6H5OH + HCl
direct oxidation of benzene with nitrous oxide
C6H6 + N2O → C6H5OH + N2
oxidation of toluene, developed by Dow Chemical
C6H5CH3 + 2 O2 → C6H5OH + CO2 + H2O
