Orcinol
- 3.5 dihydroxytoluene
- 5 -methyl
- Orcinol
- 504-15-4
- 6153-39-5 (monohydrate)
White to yellowish white powder with odor phenolartigem
Fixed
290 ° C
9.52
80 g / l ( 20 ° C)
Attention
> 2000 mg · kg -1 ( LD50, rat, oral)
Template: Infobox chemical / molecular formula search available
Orcin (3,5- dihydroxytoluene, 5 - methylresorcinol, formerly called orcinol ) is an aromatic chemical compound whose structure is composed of a benzene ring with two attached hydroxy groups ( -OH) and a methylene group (- CH 3) as a substituent. It belongs to the group of Dihydroxytoluole, a group of six constitutional isomers. In particular, and structurally it is closely related to resorcinol, it is the methyl derivative.
History and habitat
Orcinol in 1829 received from the French chemist Pierre Jean Robiquet from lichens of the genus Rocella by treating an extract of the lichen with alkalis. It also occurs in the flowers of mosses such as Ditrichia viscosa and the leaves of the tree heath (Erica arborea ). Orcinol is the parent substance of many lichen dyes such as litmus, orcein and Orseille. Orsellinic, orcinol and penicillin acid can be found in cultures of Penicillium fennelliae.
Representation
Orcinol arises, inter alia, upon rapid heating of orsellinic, the decarboxylated at 176 ° C.
Properties
Physical Properties
Orcinol is a white to yellowish white powder with phenolartigem odor, discolored reddish slowly in air. In the anhydrous form, it has a melting point of 106-112 ° C, 56-58 ° C one of the monohydrate; the boiling point is 290 ° C.
Chemical Properties
Chemically it behaves typically like a phenol, it is, for example, in an alkaline solution, a phenate, which has a much higher water solubility. In contrast to resorcinol with phthalic anhydride it forms no triphenylmethane similar to fluorescein. Next It also has an antimicrobial effect.
Use
It finds its use among others in the Bial sample. Riboses form furfural under the action of strong mineral acids. The green- blue color is produced by forming iron complex. Furthermore, detection reactions have been reported with aldehydes and hexoses.