General Description
Colorless to off-white crystalline solid with a sweet tarry odor. Odor threshold concentration: 0.4 mg/L .
Reactivity Profile
2,6-DIMETHYLPHENOL(576-26-1) is incompatible with bases, acid chlorides, acid anhydrides, and oxidizing agents. Corrodes steel, brass, copper, and copper alloys.
Air & Water Reactions
Insoluble in water
Fire Hazard
This chemical is combustible.
Chemical Properties
colourless crystals or white powder
Occurrence
Reported found in smoked fatty fish, boiled and cooked cured pork, rum, malt whiskey, Japanese whiskey,
coffee, katsuobushi (dried bonito) and lamb’s lettuce (Valerianella locusta).
Uses
Intermediate for Plastics, Agrochemicals, Pharmaceuticals, and is used as a solvent.
Uses
Similar to other xylenol compounds, 2,6-dimethylphenol is used in the synthesis of anti-oxidant compounds due to the phenol moiety in the structure. In addition, this compound is used as a a reactant
in the synthesis of polyphenylene ether polymers.
Application
2,6-dimethylphenol is generally applied in industry as a monomer in polymerization reaction. For the production of polyphenylene ether resins, polyester and polyether resins.
Definition
ChEBI: 2,6-Dimethylphenol is a hydroxytoluene.
Preparation
From coal tar oil or coal hydrogenation.
Aroma threshold values
Detection: 400 ppb
Flammability and Explosibility
Nonflammable
Purification Methods
Fractionally distil 2,6-xylenol under nitrogen, crystallise it from *benzene or hexane, and sublime it at 38o/10mm. [Beilstein 6 IV 3122.]
