| Chemical Properties |
colourless to light yellow liquid |
| Definition |
ChEBI: A cresol that is phenol substituted by a methyl group at position 2. It is a minor urinary metabolite of toluene. |
| General Description |
Colorless or yellow to brown-yellow or pinkish colored liquid with a phenol-like odor. Toxic by ingestion and/or skin absorption. May have a flash point between 100 and 199°F. Causes burns to skin, eyes and mucous membranes. Insoluble in water. |
| Air & Water Reactions |
Sensitive to light and air. Insoluble in water. |
| Reactivity Profile |
o-Cresol is incompatible with oxidizing agents and bases. Mixing o-Cresol with chlorosulfonic acid, nitric acid and oleum in a closed contained caused the temperature and pressure to increase. |
| Health Hazard |
The chemical is rated as a very toxic compound with a probable oral lethal dose in humans of 50-500 mg/kg, or between 1 teaspoon and 1 ounce for a 70 kg (150 lb.) person. It is a strong dermal irritant and frequently causes dermatitis. Serious or fatal poisoning may result if large areas of skin are wet with cresol, o- and the substance is not removed immediately. Ingestion of even a small amount may cause paralysis and coma. It is corrosive to body tissues, with toxicity similar to phenol. |
| Fire Hazard |
Fire may produce irritating or poisonous gases. Runoff from fire control water may give off poisonous gases. o-Cresol may burn but does not ignite readily. Container may explode in heat of fire. Slight explosion and fire hazard in the form of vapor when exposed to heat or flame. When heated to decomposition, o-Cresol emits highly toxic fumes. Reacts violently with nitric acid, oleum, and chlorosulfonic acid. Hazardous polymerization may not occur. |
| Safety Profile |
Poison by ingestion, inhalation, subcutaneous, intravenous, and intraperitoneal routes. Moderately toxic by skin contact. A severe eye and skin irritant. Human mutation data reported. Questionable carcinogen with experimental neoplastigenic data. Flammable when exposed to heat, flame, or oxidants. To fight fire, water may be used to blanket fire; foam, fog, mist, dry chemical. See also other cresol entries and PHENOL. |
| Purification Methods |
It can be freed from m-and p-isomers by repeated fractional distillation, It crystallises from *benzene by addition of pet ether. It has been fractionallly crystallised by partial freezing of its melt. The 3,5-dinitrobenzoate (prepared with 3,5-dinitrobenzoyl chloride in dry pyridine, and recrystallised from EtOH or aqueous Me2CO) has m 138o. [Beilstein 6 IV 1940.] |
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