MOLECULE

2-Phenoxyethanol

2-Phenoxyethanol, also known as phenoxytol or phenyl cellosolve, belongs to the class of organic compounds known as phenol ethers. These are aromatic compounds containing an ether group substituted with a benzene ring. 2-Phenoxyethanol is a potentially toxic compound. 2-Phenoxyethanol is a germicidal and germistatic glycol ether, phenol ether, and aromatic alcohol often used together with quaternary ammonium compounds. 2-Phenoxyethanol is used as a perfume fixative, an insect repellent, an antiseptic, a solvent for cellulose acetate, dyes, inks, and resins. It is also a preservative for pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and lubricants, an anesthetic in fish aquaculture, and it is also used in organic synthesis. 2-Phenoxyethanol is produced by the hydroxyethylation of phenol (Williamson synthesis), for example, in the presence of alkali-metal hydroxides or alkali-metal borohydrides. 2-Phenoxyethanol has been identified as a volatile component of cannabis samples from police seizures (PMID: 26657499) and it is also a constituent of Marijuana smoke (https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-947-9_2).