Menthol

Description

A white crystalline compound obtained from the distillation of peppermint oil. Menthol was first isolated in 1771 by Gambius. In the late 19th century, menthol was used with naphthalene as a moth repellent. Now, it is used in perfumes, medicines, and cigarettes.

Synonyms and Related Terms

hexahydrothymol; peppermint camphor; methylhydroxyisopropyl-cyclohexane; p-menthan-3-ol; mentol (Dan., Pol.); Menthol (Deut., Fr., Ned.);

Chemical structure

Other Properties

Soluble in ethanol, chloroform, ether, ligroin, glacial acetic acid. Slightly soluble in water.

Composition	CH3C6H9(C3H7)OH
CAS	1490-04-6 (dl-menthol)
Melting Point	41-43
Density	0.890
Molecular Weight	mol. wt. = 156.26
Boiling Point	212

Hazards and Safety

Combustible. Flash point = 93 C. Inhalation causes irritation to mucous membranes.

Fisher Scientific: MSDS

Additional Information

L. Goldberg, A History Of Pest Control Measures In The Anthropology Collections, National Museum Of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, JAIC (35):23-43, 1996

Authority

• G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 586

• The Merck Index, Martha Windholz (ed.), Merck Research Labs, Rahway NJ, 10th edition, 1983 Comment: entry 5882

• Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, at http://www.wikipedia.com Comment: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menthol (Accessed Jan. 6, 2006)

• Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993

• Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997

• The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998