You may have heard of phenol before. If you haven't, that's fine; it's another (relatively) obscure compound in the world of chemistry. Its scientific name is carbolic acid, and despite being unknown by many, it's all around us. An aromatic organic compound, carbolic acid is industrially produced on a massive scale, with over seven billion kilograms of it being produced each year. Somewhat similar to alcohols, carbolic acid has a multitude of uses. Some of these include the construction of various plastics, nylons, detergents, drugs, and a number of other things. An especially volatile substance, it can cause serious chemical burns when skin is exposed to it.
Carbolic acid played a vital role in surgery. Used as one of the first antiseptics in history, it allowed for surgery to become a much safer process. Phenol changed the way surgery is performed up to this day, and without it it's quite possible the survival outcomes of surgery would be much lower than they are today.
Despite being quite similar to a number of alcohols, carbolic acid has a number of unique characteristics that set it apart from other chemical compounds.
Carbolic acid played a vital role in surgery. Used as one of the first antiseptics in history, it allowed for surgery to become a much safer process. Phenol changed the way surgery is performed up to this day, and without it it's quite possible the survival outcomes of surgery would be much lower than they are today.
Despite being quite similar to a number of alcohols, carbolic acid has a number of unique characteristics that set it apart from other chemical compounds.