m-Cresol
Names | |
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IUPAC name
3-Methylphenol | |
Other names
3-Hydroxytoluene m-Cresylic acid 3-Cresol 1-Hydroxy-3-methylbenzene | |
Identifiers | |
108-39-4 | |
3D model (Jmol) | Interactive image |
ChEBI | CHEBI:17231 |
ChEMBL | ChEMBL298312 |
ChemSpider | 21105871 |
DrugBank | DB01776 |
ECHA InfoCard | 100.003.253 |
EC Number | 203-39-4 |
RTECS number | GO6125000 |
UNII | GGO4Y809LO |
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Properties | |
C7H8O | |
Molar mass | 108.14 g/mol |
Appearance | colorless liquid to yellowish liquid |
Density | 1.034 g/cm3, liquid at 20 °C |
Melting point | 11 °C (52 °F; 284 K) |
Boiling point | 202.8 °C (397.0 °F; 475.9 K) |
2.35 g/100 ml at 20 °C 5.8 g/100 ml at 100 °C | |
Solubility in ethanol | fully miscible |
Solubility in diethyl ether | fully miscible |
Vapor pressure | 0.14 mmHg (20°C)[1] |
Refractive index (nD) |
1.5398 |
Viscosity | 184.23 cP at 20 °C |
Hazards | |
Main hazards | May cause serious burns. Very destructive of mucous membranes. Harmful if inhaled. Toxic in contact with the skin or if swallowed. |
Safety data sheet | External MSDS |
R-phrases | R20 R24 R25 R34 |
S-phrases | S36 S37 S39 S45 |
NFPA 704 | |
Flash point | 86 °C |
Explosive limits | 1.1%-? (149°C)[1] |
Lethal dose or concentration (LD, LC): | |
LD50 (median dose) |
242 mg/kg (oral, rat, 1969) 2020 mg/kg (oral, rat, 1944) 828 mg/kg (oral, mouse)[2] |
US health exposure limits (NIOSH): | |
PEL (Permissible) |
TWA 5 ppm (22 mg/m3) [skin][1] |
REL (Recommended) |
TWA 2.3 ppm (10 mg/m3)[1] |
IDLH (Immediate danger) |
250 ppm[1] |
Related compounds | |
Related phenols |
o-cresol, p-cresol, phenol |
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). | |
verify (what is ?) | |
Infobox references | |
meta-Cresol, also 3-methylphenol, is an organic compound with the formula CH3C6H4(OH). It is a colourless, viscous liquid that is an intermediate in the production of other chemicals. It is a derivative of phenol, an isomer of p-cresol and o-cresol.[3]
Production
Together with many other compounds, m-cresol is traditionally extracted from coal tar, the volatile materials obtained in the production of coke from (bituminous) coal. This residue contains a few percent by weight of phenol and isomeric cresols. In the cymene-cresol process, phenol is alkylated with propylene to give isomers of cymene, which can be oxidatively dealkylated (Hock rearrangement) analogous to the cumene process.[3][3]
Applications
m-Cresol is a precursor to the commercially important pesticides fenitrothion and fenthion. Methylation gives 2,3,6-trimethyphenol, a precursor to synthetic vitamin E.[3] it is a precursor to the antiseptic amylmetacresol.
It has been used as a solvent for dissolving polymers, e.g., polyaniline. When polyaniline is cast from a solution of m-cresol or a polyaniline film is exposed to m-cresol vapor, the conductivity is higher than a polyaniline film cast without the presence of m-cresol due to a phenomenon known as secondary doping.[4]
m-Cresol is also used as a preservative in some insulins.
Natural occurrences
m-Cresol is a component found in temporal glands secretions during musth in male African elephants (Loxodonta africana).[5]
See also
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 "NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards #0155". National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
- ↑ "Cresol (o, m, p isomers)". Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
- 1 2 3 4 Helmut Fiegein "Cresols and Xylenols" in Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry" 2007; Wiley-VCH, Weinheim. doi:10.1002/14356007.a08_025
- ↑ Alan G. MacDiarmid and Arthur J. Epstein. 1995. "Secondary Doping in Polyaniline" Synthetic Metals 69 (85-92).
- ↑ Some chemical constituents of the secretion from the temporal gland of the African elephant (Loxodonta africana). Jack Adams, Alexander Garcia and Christopher S. Foote, Journal Of Chemical Ecology, 1978, Volume 4, Number 1, 17-25, doi:10.1007/BF00988256
External links
- NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards cdc.gov
- Chemical and physical properties chemicalbook.com
- Metacresol as a biocide pesticideinfo.org