Skip to main content
methyl phenol

methyl phenol

8.6
A poisonous chemical used as a disinfectant and made from coal or wood tar
  • noun
  • /ˈmɛθəl ˈfiːnɒl/
  • Specialized
translation icon : fenol metílico
  • Methylated spirits sometimes contain small amounts of methyl phenol as a disinfectant.

Examples

  • Exposure to methyl phenol can cause irritation of the skin and respiratory tract.

  • The laboratory stored solutions of methyl phenol in tightly sealed containers due to its toxicity.

  • The laboratory tested the methyl phenol for purity.

  • Many methyl phenols are used in industrial applications.

  • Exposure to methyl phenol can cause irritation of the skin and respiratory tract.

  • Methylated spirits sometimes contain small amounts of methyl phenol as a disinfectant.

  • The laboratory stored solutions of methyl phenol in tightly sealed containers due to its toxicity.

Synonyms

cresol
vsmethyl phenol
  • Specialized
9.9

A poisonous chemical from wood or coal tar used to kill germs and make other products

is focused more on disinfectant use than on industrial manufacturing

Surface Forms

methyl phenol singular

Morphology

methyl + phenol

The term is compositionally built from 'methyl' (a chemical substituent/group) + 'phenol' (a specific aromatic compound), so it denotes a phenol molecule that carries a methyl group — i.e., a type/kind of phenol. Chemical naming is largely compositional and cross-linguistically consistent, so a learner who knows both constituents can infer the basic meaning (specific isomeric details would require specialist knowledge but do not prevent the general inference).

Etymology

Methyl phenol comes from the way chemists name compounds: a small part called methyl is joined to phenol, so the name points to the molecule's parts. Because these similar chemicals were used as strong cleaners and are often poisonous, the name now refers to that group of disinfectants.