Menthol
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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.);
Risks
- Combustible. Flash point = 93 C.
- Inhalation causes irritation to mucous membranes.
- Fisher Scientific: MSDS
Physical and Chemical 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 C |
| Density | 0.890 g/ml |
| Molecular Weight | mol. wt. = 156.26 |
| Boiling Point | 212 C |
Resources and Citations
- L. Goldberg, A History Of Pest Control Measures In The Anthropology Collections, National Museum Of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, JAIC (35):23-43, 1996
- 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: 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