Have you ever wondered what life would be like if the tools that doctors use to treat patients were never sanitized or cleaned? Disease would plague society and the death rates would skyrocket. But thanks to the discovery of phenol (also called carbolic acid) by the 1800s, doctors were able to treat patients more clean and effectively. Prior to this time, the skill of a doctor would be determined by how much blood was on this mans coat or smock. So, doctors were constantly carrying pathogens and bacteria on there coats, hands and tools. Once these tools and lab coats became sanitized, death rates went down tremendously and although not accepted immediately this method became used world wide.
Phenol is an organic white compound with the formula C6H5OH. It is a melting solid when at room temperature and was first found in coal tar. This substance is incredibly useful because it contains several materials and compounds necessary to everyday life. Some example of materials that phenol can produce are, nylon, pharmaceutical drugs and detergents (because it is acidic), while it can also be used to convert precursors to plastics. Unfortunately, Phenol has been used for some negative causes. It was used as toxic gas by the Nazis to kill their Jewish prisoners. Besides this, phenol has been used to revolutionize human life. It is used to treat chemical burns, contaminated clothing, and surgical tools.
Although Phenol has almost the exact same structure as many other compounds, (C6H5OH), it is a very unique type of compound. It is found in common items such as whiskey or sunscreen to complex materials like, precursor plastics. This is because, phenol is simply made of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen: three elements that are extremely common in society today. However the complexity of these elements ranges depending on what other elements are present in said item with phenol. Most commonly found in plastics, phenol is also in many pharmaceutical drugs. The most notable drug that is included is aspirin. Overal, there are many uses for phenol some more important than others.