Reactive Group Datasheet

Phenols, Cresols

What are reactive groups?

Reactive groups are categories of chemicals that typically react in similar ways because they are similar in their chemical structure. Each substance with a chemical datasheet has been assigned to one or more reactive groups, and CAMEO Chemicals uses the reactive group assignments to make its reactivity predictions. More Info...

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There are 208 chemical datasheets assigned to this reactive group.

Description

Flammability

Materials in this group are combustible. Some nitro and diazo derivatives of phenols explode when heated.

Reactivity

Compounds in this group do not behave as organic alcohols, as one might guess from the presence of a hydroxyl (-OH) group in their structure. Instead, they react as weak organic acids. Phenols and cresols are much weaker as acids than common carboxylic acids (phenol has Ka = 1.3 x 10^[-10]). These materials are incompatible with strong reducing substances such as hydrides, nitrides, alkali metals, and sulfides. Flammable gas (H2) is often generated, and the heat of the reaction may ignite the gas. Heat is also generated by the acid-base reaction between phenols and bases. Such heating may initiate polymerization of the organic compound. Phenols are sulfonated very readily (for example, by concentrated sulfuric acid at room temperature). The reactions generate heat. Phenols are also nitrated very rapidly, even by dilute nitric acid. Nitrated phenols often explode when heated. Many of them form metal salts that tend toward detonation by rather mild shock.

Toxicity

Ranges from moderate to high toxicity. Some of the more toxic members of this class of compounds are the chlorinated and nitro-substituted phenols that are used as pesticides and antibacterials (dinoseb, creosote, chlorinated phenol, p-nitrophenol). Phenol is strongly irritating to the skin.

Other Characteristics

Phenols are used in many organic syntheses, and the making of phenol/formaldehyde resins and polycarbonate resins.

Examples

Phenol, cresol, dinitrophenol, phenylphenol, dinitrocresol, alkyl phenol, aminochlorophenol, aminophenol, amyl phenol, butyl phenol, catechol, creosote, picric acid, resorcinol, trichlorophenol, dichlorocresol.

Reactivity Documentation

Click on the links below to see how this reactive group is predicted to react when it is mixed with one of the 47 reactive groups. A variety of documentation about that reactive group pair will be displayed, including predicted hazards, predicted gas byproducts, and background materials and references used to make the predictions.

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Phenols, Cresols

What are reactive groups?

Description

Reactivity Documentation