guaiacol

[ gwahy-uh-kohl, -kawl ]

noun

, Pharmacology.

1. a slightly yellowish, aromatic, crystalline substance, C 7 H 8 O 2 , resembling creosote and usually obtained from guaiacum resin: used in medicine chiefly as an expectorant and local anesthetic.

guaiacol

/ ˈɡwaɪəˌkɒl /

noun

1. a yellowish oily creosote-like liquid extracted from guaiacum resin and hardwood tar, used medicinally as an expectorant. Formula: C 7 H 8 O 2

Word History and Origins

Origin of guaiacol¹

First recorded in 1860–65; guaiac(um) + -ol ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of guaiacol¹

from guaiac ( um ) + -ol ²

Example Sentences

Vanillin typically comes from vanilla beans or is synthesized from the petrochemical precursor guaiacol.

From Washington Post

Smoke-tainted wines contain unusually high levels of odiferous, smoky-smelling products of burning wood called volatile phenols, including the molecules guaiacol, 4-methyl guaiacol and syringol.

From Los Angeles Times

This means that a smoke-exposed wine grape might have very few smoky-smelling volatile phenols like guaiacol or 4-methyl guaiacol inside it in smellable form, but have a lot of their glycosides as “helpfully” synthesized by the glycosyltransferases.

From Los Angeles Times

At first, scientists had identified only one compound that contributed to smoke taint: guaiacol, which affects taste and color.

From The Verge

In their initial experiments, he and his team created a standardised manure-like stench from a mixture of dimethyl disulphide, dimethyl trisulphide, diethyl disulphide, butyric acid, para-cresol and guaiacol.

From Economist