Description |
4-Ethylphenol, often abbreviated to 4-EP, is a phenolic compound with the formula C8H10O. It is colorless or white needles with a powerful woody-phenolic and yet somewhat sweet odor and tends to be yellow on exposure to light. It is slightly solouble in water, solouble in alcohol, ether and benzene and carbon disulfide. It is found in arabica coffee and can be produced in wine and beer by the spoilage yeast Brettanomyces. It is the starting material for the production of 4-vinylphenol and of various antioxidants and can also be used as an intermediate for pharmaceuticals and dyes. |
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References |
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4-Ethylphenol
2. http://www.hmdb.ca/metabolites/HMDB29306
3. https://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/search2/f?./temp/~x8ypqu:1:cpp
4. https://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/search2/f?./temp/~x8ypqu:1:manf |
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Chemical Properties |
off-white solid |
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Uses |
Intermediates of Liquid Crystals |
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Purification Methods |
Non-acidic impurities are removed by passing steam through a boiling solution containing 1 mole of the phenol and 1.75 moles of NaOH (as an aqueous 10% solution). The residue is cooled and acidified with 30% (v/v) H2SO4, and the free phenol is extracted into diethyl ether. The extract is washed with water, dried with CaSO4 and the ether is evaporated. The phenol is distilled at 100mm pressure through a Stedman gauze-packed column (p 11). It is further purified by fractional crystallisation by partial freezing, and by zone refining, under N2 [Biddiscombe et al. J Chem Soc 5764 1963]. Alternatively purify it via the benzoate, as for phenol. The 4-nitrophenylbenzoate has m 80o (from EtOH). [Beilstein 6 H 470, 6 III 1663, 5 IV 3020.] |
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