Chemistry:P-Cresol

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Short description: Chemical compound


p-Cresol
Skeletal formula of p-cresol
3D model of p-cresol
Names
Preferred IUPAC name
4-Methylphenol
Systematic IUPAC name
4-Methylbenzenol
Other names
4-Cresol
p-Cresol
4-Hydroxytoluene
p-Cresylic acid
1-Hydroxy-4-methylbenzene
Identifiers
3D model (JSmol)
1305151
ChEBI
ChEMBL
ChemSpider
DrugBank
EC Number
  • 203-398-6
2779
KEGG
RTECS number
  • GO6475000
UNII
Properties
C7H8O
Molar mass 108.13
Appearance colorless prismatic crystals
Density 1.0347 g/ml
Melting point 35.5 °C (95.9 °F; 308.6 K)
Boiling point 201.8 °C (395.2 °F; 474.9 K)
2.4 g/100 ml at 40 °C
5.3 g/100 ml at 100 °C
Solubility in ethanol miscible
Solubility in diethyl ether miscible
Vapor pressure 0.11 mmHg (25 °C)[1]
−72.1×10−6 cm3/mol
1.5395
Hazards
Main hazards May be fatal if swallowed, inhaled, or absorbed through skin.
Safety data sheet External MSDS
GHS pictograms GHS05: CorrosiveGHS06: ToxicGHS08: Health hazard
GHS Signal word Danger
H201, H311, H314, H351, H370, H372, H373, H401, H412
P201, P202, P260, P264, P270, P273, P280, P281, P301+310, P301+330+331, P302+352, P303+361+353, P304+340, P305+351+338, P307+311, P308+313, P310, P312, P314, P321, P322, P330, P361, P363, P405
NFPA 704 (fire diamond)
Flammability code 1: Must be pre-heated before ignition can occur. Flash point over 93 °C (200 °F). E.g. canola oilHealth code 3: Short exposure could cause serious temporary or residual injury. E.g. chlorine gasReactivity code 0: Normally stable, even under fire exposure conditions, and is not reactive with water. E.g. liquid nitrogenSpecial hazards (white): no codeNFPA 704 four-colored diamond
1
3
0
Flash point 86.1 °C (187.0 °F; 359.2 K)
Explosive limits 1.1%–?[1]
Lethal dose or concentration (LD, LC):
207 mg/kg (oral, rat, 1969)
1800 mg/kg (oral, rat, 1944)
344 mg/kg (oral, mouse)[2]
NIOSH (US health exposure limits):
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, m-cresol, phenol
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Infobox references
Tracking categories (test):

para-Cresol, also 4-methylphenol, is an organic compound with the formula CH3C6H4(OH). It is a colourless solid that is widely used intermediate in the production of other chemicals. It is a derivative of phenol and is an isomer of o-cresol and m-cresol.[3]

Production

Together with many other compounds, p-cresol is conventionally extracted from coal tar, the volatilized materials obtained in the roasting of coal to produce coke. This residue contains a few percent by weight of phenol and cresols. Industrially, p-cresol is currently prepared mainly by a two-step route beginning with the sulfonation of toluene:[4]

CH3C6H5 + H2SO4 → CH3C6H4SO3H + H2O

Basic hydrolysis of the sulfonate salt gives the sodium salt of the cresol:

CH3C6H4SO3H + 2 NaOH → CH3C6H4OH + Na2SO3 + H2O

Other methods for the production of p-cresol include chlorination of toluene followed by hydrolysis. In the cymene-cresol process, toluene is alkylated with propene to give p-cymene, which can be oxidatively dealkylated in a manner similar to the cumene process.[3]

Applications

p-Cresol is consumed mainly in the production of antioxidants, such as butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). The monoalkylated derivatives undergo coupling to give an extensive family of diphenol antioxidants. These antioxidants are valued because they are relatively low in toxicity and nonstaining.[3][5][6]

Natural occurrences

In humans

p-Cresol is produced by bacterial fermentation of protein in the human large intestine. It is excreted in feces and urine,[7] and is a component of human sweat that attracts female mosquitoes.[8][9]

p-Cresol is a constituent of tobacco smoke.[10]

In other species

p-Cresol is a major component in pig odor.[11] Temporal glands secretion examination showed the presence of phenol and p-cresol during musth in male elephants.[12][13] It is one of the very few compounds to attract the orchid bee Euglossa cyanura and has been used to capture and study the species.[14] p-Cresol is a component found in horse urine during estrus that can elicit the Flehmen response.[15]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards. "#0156". National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/npgd0156.html. 
  2. "Cresol (o, m, p isomers)". Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health Concentrations (IDLH). National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/idlh/cresol.html. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Fiege, Helmut (2000). "Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry". Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry. Weinheim: Wiley-VCH. doi:10.1002/14356007.a08_025. 
  4. W. W. Hartman (1923). "p-Cresol". Organic Syntheses 3: 37. doi:10.15227/orgsyn.003.0037. 
  5. "meta- and para-Cresols". April 2005. https://inchem.org/documents/sids/sids/m-p-cresols.pdf. 
  6. "p-Cresol - Hazardous Agents". https://haz-map.com/Agents/16387?#:~:text=used,materials. 
  7. "Functional analysis of colonic bacterial metabolism: relevant to health?". American Journal of Physiology. Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology 302 (1): G1-9. January 2012. doi:10.1152/ajpgi.00048.2011. PMID 22016433. 
  8. "Olfaction: mosquito receptor for human-sweat odorant". Nature 427 (6971): 212–213. January 2004. doi:10.1038/427212a. PMID 14724626. Bibcode2004Natur.427..212H. 
  9. "Laboratory tests of the effects of p-cresol and 4-methylcyclohexanol on oviposition by three species of Toxorhynchites mosquitoes". Medical and Veterinary Entomology 3 (4): 347–52. October 1989. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2915.1989.tb00241.x. PMID 2577519. 
  10. "Hazardous compounds in tobacco smoke". International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 8 (2): 613–28. February 2011. doi:10.3390/ijerph8020613. PMID 21556207. 
  11. Borrell, Brendan (5 March 2009). "Why study pig odor?". Scientific American. http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=why-study-pig-odor. 
  12. "Physiological correlates of musth: lipid metabolites and chemical composition of exudates". Physiology & Behavior 67 (4): 539–49. October 1999. doi:10.1016/S0031-9384(99)00114-6. PMID 10549891. 
  13. Ananth, Deepa (May 2000). "Musth in elephants". Zoos' Print Journal 15 (5): 259–62. doi:10.11609/jott.zpj.14.4.259-62. 
  14. "Orchid Floral Fragrances and Male Euglossine Bees: Methods and Advances in the Last Sesquidecade". Biological Bulletin 164 (3): 355–95. June 1983. doi:10.2307/1541248. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/35261. Retrieved 2021-11-10. 
  15. "p-Cresol: a sex pheromone component identified from the estrous urine of mares". Journal of Chemical Ecology 38 (7): 811–3. July 2012. doi:10.1007/s10886-012-0138-2. PMID 22592336.