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Phenetole is a colorless liquid which is prepared by etherification of phenol with ethyl chloride or diethyl sulfate. Phenyl ethyl ether is an intermediate in numerous organic syntheses.

CLEAR COLOURLESS TO VERY SLIGHTLY YELLOW LIQUID

ChEBI: An aromatic ether in which the ether oxygen is bonded to an ethyl and a phenyl group.

The Journal of Organic Chemistry, 55, p. 358, 1990 DOI: 10.1021/jo00288a065
Tetrahedron Letters, 29, p. 5553, 1988 DOI: 10.1016/S0040-4039(00)80811-4

Nonflammable

Phenetole is produced from Phenol and Diethylsulfate in weak aqueous alkaline solution.

Small quantities of phenol can be removed by shaking with NaOH, but this is not a very likely contaminant of commercial material. Fractional distillation from sodium, at low pressures, probably gives adequate purification. It can be dissolved in diethyl ether and washed with 10% NaOH (to remove phenols), then water. The ethereal solution is evaporated, and the phenetole is fractionally distilled under vacuum. [Beilstein 6 H 140, 6 I 80, 6 II 142, 6 III 545.]