Phenol
Also called carbolic acid, PHOH, IPH and IZAL.
Carbolic acid, the first surgical antiseptic and the sharp medicinal smell in throat sprays. It is corrosive at strength.
Sources and notes
- The introductionfrom sourceMoleculeFinder curated
- Other namesfrom sourceWikidataIts English label and aliases on Wikidata.
- Formula and weightcomputedPubChem
- 2D drawingcomputedPubChem structure, drawn by RDKit
- 3D modelfrom sourcePubChem 3D conformerLoaded after the page has painted, and on a phone only when you ask for it; the 2D drawing shows until it arrives.
Where you encounter it
Phenol on the product labels we hold.
Every product and list we hold
Sources and notes
- The product labels and their strengthsfrom sourceDailyMed (FDA label)Each label lists the molecule as an ingredient, and an active ingredient at the strength shown.
- How it gets therefrom sourceMoleculeFinder curatedEach mark is set by hand on our lists, never inferred; a label's ingredient is added by the maker. A row with no mark data says Not marked.
Explore its structure
Choose a part to light it up.
An O-H fixed directly to a benzene ring. The ring makes that hydrogen easier to give up than an ordinary alcohol's, which is why many phenols act as antioxidants.
From: standard chemistry.
Six carbons in a flat hexagon, sharing their electrons evenly around the ring. It is stable, flat and oily, and it stacks readily against other flat rings.
From: standard chemistry.
Sources and notes
- The drawingcomputedPubChem structure, drawn by RDKitThe page's one shipped drawing, with the chosen part lit in amber under it.
- The partscomputedFound by ruleEach part is found by a chemical pattern, never picked by hand atom by atom; its words say where they come from.
Properties and sources
Calculated by PubChem
- Molecular formula
- C6H6O
- Molecular weight
- 94.11 g/mol
- XLogP3octanol/water, log units
- 1.5
- Polar surface areatopological
- 20.2 Ų
- H-bond donors
- 1
- H-bond acceptors
- 1
- Rotatable bonds
- 0
- Complexity
- 46
Measured LD50, HSDB via PubChem
317 mg/kg pure phenol, rat, oral
An LD50 is an animal study measurement, not a dose for a person.
Reported Hazard label (GHS), ECHA, EU CLP Regulation, Safe Work Australia via PubChem
Danger Corrosive pictogram (GHS05), Toxic pictogram (GHS06), Health hazard pictogram (GHS08) and Environmental pictogram (GHS09); hazard statements H301, H311, H314, H318, H331, H341, H373, H411
Groups it belongs to
- Category
- Everyday chemistry
- Family
- Phenolic compounds
- Hazard classes
- Corrosive, Acutely toxic, Health hazard, Environmental hazard, GHS Danger
- Size
- Under 100 g/mol
C1=CC=C(C=C1)OPubChem CID 996 · Wikidata Q130336 · InChIKey ISWSIDIOOBJBQZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N · Data refreshed
Questions
- What is Phenol?
- Carbolic acid, the first surgical antiseptic and the sharp medicinal smell in throat sprays. It is corrosive at strength.
- How toxic is Phenol?
- The reported LD50 of Phenol is 317 mg/kg (rat, oral). An LD50 is an animal study measurement, not a dose for a person. Its GHS hazard label carries the signal word Danger and the hazard pictograms Corrosive, Toxic, Health hazard and Environmental. from sourcefrom source
- What kind of molecule is Phenol?
- Phenol has the formula C6H6O and a molecular weight of 94.11 g/mol. MoleculeFinder files it under phenolic compounds, in the everyday chemistry group. from sourcefrom sourcefrom sourcefrom source
- What else is Phenol called?
- Phenol is also called carbolic acid, PHOH, IPH and IZAL. from source
Sources and notes
- Calculated valuescomputedPubChemComputed from the structure, so no laboratory conditions apply; complexity is PubChem's own structural score.
- LD50from sourceHSDB via PubChemOther values the sources report: cat, oral, 100 mg/kg; dog, oral, 500 mg/kg; rat, oral, 530 mg/kg. The page shows the one LD50 the site uses everywhere.
- Hazard labelfrom sourceECHA, EU CLP Regulation, Safe Work Australia via PubChemThe label combines these classifications.
- ECHAfrom sourceAttributionSource: European Chemicals Agency, echa.europa.eu.
- EU CLP Regulationfrom sourceAttributionSource: EUR-Lex, Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008, © European Union.
- Safe Work Australiafrom sourceAttributionSource: Safe Work Australia, Hazardous Chemical Information System, © Commonwealth of Australia, CC BY 4.0.
- Data refreshedfrom sourceMoleculeFinder2026-11-09
Keep exploring
More related molecules
- Salicylic acid Both carry a phenol group.
- Toluene Both carry an aromatic ring.
- Naphthalene Both carry an aromatic ring.
- Acetophenone Both carry an aromatic ring.
Sources and notes
- The same kind of moleculefrom sourceMoleculeFinder curated groupsA structural neighbour in the same family or type group; the line names the group in its own words.
- Similar in shapecomputedRDKit Morgan/TanimotoNeighbours by structural fingerprint; the sentence names the chemical groups the two share.
- The drawingscomputedPubChem structures, drawn by RDKit