Phenol extraction is a laboratory technique that purifies nucleic acid samples using a phenol solution. Phenol is common reagent in extraction because its properties allow for effective nucleic acid extraction, particularly as it strongly denatures proteins, it is a nucleic acid preservative, and it is immiscible in water.
It may also refer to the process of extracting and isolating phenols from raw materials such as coal tar. These purified phenols are used in many industrial and medical compounds and are used as precursors in some synthesis reactions.