When FeCl3 _ 3 was added, phenol turned purple, while benzyl alcohol remained unchanged.
Phenol:
Phenol (C6H5OH)? It is a colorless needle-like crystal with a special smell. Toxic, it is an important raw material for producing some resins, fungicides, preservatives and drugs (such as aspirin). It can also be used to disinfect surgical instruments and treat excreta. Skin sterilization, itching relief and otitis media. Melting point 43℃, slightly soluble in water at room temperature, easily soluble in organic solvents; When the temperature is higher than 65℃, it can be mixed with water in any proportion. Phenol is corrosive, which will denature local protein after contact, and its solution can be washed with alcohol when it comes into contact with skin. A small part of phenol is exposed to the air and oxidized by oxygen to quinone, which turns pink. When iron ions turn purple, this method is usually used to test phenol.
Benzyl alcohol: Benzyl alcohol is one of the simplest aromatic alcohols and can be regarded as phenyl-substituted methanol. Most of them exist in essential oils in nature in the form of esters, such as jasmine oil, hyacinthus orientalis oil, Peruvian balsam and so on.