Editing Phenols (section)

== Classification ==
[[File:Paracetamol-skeletal.svg|thumb|144px|The best-selling drug in the U.S., [[Acetaminophen]], also known as Paracetamol, is a phenol.]]
There are various [[Chemical classification|classification]] schemes.<ref name=Vermerris>Wilfred Vermerris and Ralph Nicholson. [https://books.google.com/books?id=uLzdv8fsRxYC&dq Phenolic Compound Biochemistry] Springer, 2008.</ref>{{rp|2}} A commonly used scheme is based on the number of carbons and was devised by [[Jeffrey Harborne]] and Simmonds in 1964 and published in 1980:<ref name=Vermerris/>{{rp|2}}<ref name=Harborne>{{cite book |last1=Harborne |first1=J. B. |year=1980 |chapter=Plant phenolics |editor1-last=Bell |editor1-first=E. A. |editor2-last=Charlwood |editor2-first=B. V. |title=Encyclopedia of Plant Physiology, volume 8 Secondary Plant Products |publisher=Springer-Verlag |location=Berlin Heidelberg New York |pages=329–395}}</ref>

{|align="center"  class="wikitable" style="background-color:white;"
|[[Phenol]]||the parent compound, used as a [https://web.archive.org/web/20091020104225/http://www.pedicure-tips.com/Pedicure-Disinfectant-Phenolics.html disinfectant] and for [[chemical synthesis]]
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|[[Bisphenol A]]||and other bisphenols produced from ketones and phenol / cresol
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|[[Butylated hydroxytoluene|BHT]]||(butylated hydroxytoluene) - a fat-soluble [[antioxidant]] and [[food additive]]
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|[[4-Nonylphenol]]||a breakdown product of [[detergents]] and [[nonoxynol-9]]
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|[[Orthophenyl phenol]]||a [[fungicide]] used for waxing [[citrus fruit]]s
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|[[Picric acid]]||(trinitrophenol) - an [[explosive material]]
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|[[Phenolphthalein]]||[[pH indicator]]
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|[[Xylenol]]|| |used in antiseptics & disinfectants
|}

===Drugs and bioactive natural products===
{{main|Naturally occurring phenols}}
More than 371 drugs approved by the FDA between the years of 1951 and 2020 contain either a phenol or a phenolic ether (a phenol with an alkyl), with nearly every class of small molecule drugs being represented, and natural products making up a large portion of this list.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Scott |first1=Kevin A. |last2=Cox |first2=Philip B. |last3=Njardarson |first3=Jon T. |date=2022-05-26 |title=Phenols in Pharmaceuticals: Analysis of a Recurring Motif |url=https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c00223 |journal=Journal of Medicinal Chemistry |language=en |volume=65 |issue=10 |pages=7044–7072 |doi=10.1021/acs.jmedchem.2c00223 |pmid=35533692 |s2cid=248667453 |issn=0022-2623}}</ref>
{|align="center"  class="wikitable" style="background-color:white;"
|[[tyrosine]]|| one of the 20 standard amino acids
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|[[levodopa|L-DOPA]]||[[dopamine]] prodrug used to treat [[Parkinson's disease]]
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|[[propofol]]||short-acting intravenous [[Anesthesia|anesthetic]] agent
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|[[vitamin K]] hydroquinone||blood-clotting agent that converts
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| [[levothyroxine]] (L-thyroxine)|| Top-selling drug to treat thyroid hormone deficiency.
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|[[amoxicillin]]||Top-selling antibiotic
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|[[estradiol]]|| the major female sex hormone
|}