phenyl salicylate phenyl salicylate phenyl salicylate, or salol, is the organic compound with the formula c6h5o2c6h4oh. it is a white solid. it is occasionally used in sunscreens and as an antiseptic. phenyl salicylate names preferred iupac name phenyl 2-hydroxybenzoate other names salol identifiers cas number 118-55-8 y 3d model (jsmol) interactive image chebi chebi:34918 n chembl chembl1339216 n chemspider 8058 n echa infocard 100.003.873 ec number 204-259-2 kegg c14163 n mesh c026041 pubchem cid 8361 unii 28a37t47qo y comptox dashboard (epa) dtxsid6021957 inchi inchi=1s/c13h10o3/c14-12-9-5-4-8-11(12)13(15)16-10-6-2-1-3-7-10/h1-9,14h nkey: zqbakbuejomqex-uhfffaoysa-n ninchi=1/c13h10o3/c14-12-9-5-4-8-11(12)13(15)16-10-6-2-1-3-7-10/h1-9,14hkey: zqbakbuejomqex-uhfffaoyai smiles o=c(oc2ccccc2)c1c(o)cccc1 properties chemical formula c13h10o3 molar mass 214.22 g/mol appearance white solid density 1.25 g/cm3 melting point 41.5 °c (106.7 °f; 314.6 k) boiling point 173 °c (343 °f; 446 k) at 12 mmhg solubility in water 1 g/6670 ml magnetic susceptibility (χ) -123.2·10−6 cm3/mol refractive index (nd) 1.615 pharmacology atc code g04bx12 (who) hazards flash point 137.3 °c (279.1 °f; 410.4 k) except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °c , 100 kpa). n verify (what is yn ?) infobox references production and reactions the title compound was synthesized first in 1883 by the polish chemist and doctor marceli nencki (who didn't publish his findings) and then independently in 1885 by the german chemist richard seifert (de) (1861–1919) (who did publish his findings). it is synthesized by heating salicylic acid with phenol in the presence of phosphoryl chloride. it also arises from heating salicylic acid: 2 hoc6h4co2h → c6h5o2c6h4oh + co2 + h2o the conversion entails dehydration and decarboxylation. heating phenyl salicylate in turn gives xanthone. 2 c6h5o2c6h4oh → 2 c6h5oh + o2co + co2 in this conversion, phenol is produced as well as carbon dioxide. salol reaction in the salol reaction, phenyl salicylate reacts with o-toluidine in 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene at elevated temperatures to the corresponding amide o-salicylotoluide. salicylamides are a type of drug. medical it has been used as an antiseptic based on the antibacterial activity upon hydrolysis in the small intestine. it acts as a mild analgesic. history the swiss physician hermann sahli (sometimes spelled "saly") (1856–1933) sought a substitute for sodium salicylate, which was used as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis but which wasn't tolerated by some patients. so dr. sahli asked the polish chemist and doctor marceli nencki of bern, switzerland, if he knew of a salicylate compound that lacked sodium salicylate's side effects. nencki recommended phenyl salicylate, which he had synthesized circa 1883. while nencki had been investigating how phenyl salicylate behaved in the body, he hadn't published his findings. meanwhile, the german chemist richard seifert (de) (1861–1919), a student of the german chemist rudolf wilhelm schmitt (de) (1830–1898), independently synthesized phenyl salicylate in 1885. in 1885, seifert accepted a position at the heyden chemical corporation (de) of radebeul, germany, which manufactured salicylic acid. the united states granted to nencki and seifert a patent for the production of phenyl salicylate, whereas germany granted a patent for its production to nencki and the heyden corporation. the heyden company subsequently sold phenyl salicylate as a pharmaceutical, under the commercial name "salol", a contraction of "salicylate of phenol". among other applications, salol was used as an orally administered antiseptic for the small intestine, where the compound is hydrolyzed into salicylic acid and phenol.