Where Do Phenols Come from?

Phenol is produced in the gut of mammals as a result of the transformation of tyrosine in their digestive tract [14]. The compounds are also components of many food stuff including fruits and vegetables. Phenol is found to be present naturally in coal tar and creosote.

What is phenol derived from?

Phenol was first extracted from coal tar, but today is produced on a large scale (about 7 billion kg/year) from petroleum-derived feedstocks. It is an important industrial commodity as a precursor to many materials and useful compounds.

How are phenols formed?

Synthesis of Phenols. You can produce phenols in large amounts by the pyrolysis of the sodium salt of benzene sulfonic acid, by a process known as Dow process, and by the air oxidation of cumene.