Benzyl alcohol
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Description
A clear, colorless, liquid. Benzyl alcohol is used as a solvent for dyes, gelatin, casein, cellulose acetate, waxes, and shellac. It is also used for mounting microscope slides and as a reagent in the developing baths for color movie films. In conservation, benzyl alcohol has been added to gelled soaps as a wetting agent.
Synonyms and Related Terms
alpha-hydroxytoluene; benzoyl alcohol; phenyl methanol; phenyl carbinol; benzenemethanol
Risks
- Combustible.
- Skin contact causes irritation.
- ThermoFisher: SDS
- EPA lists benzyl alcohol as hazardous waste due to ignitability; concentrations over 10% must be disposed of appropriately
Physical and Chemical Properties
Miscible with ethanol, ether, chloroform. Slightly soluble in water.
| Composition | C6H5CH2OH |
|---|---|
| CAS | 100-51-6 |
| Melting Point | -15.19 C |
| Density | 1.040-1.050 g/ml |
| Molecular Weight | mol. wt. = 108.1 |
| Refractive Index | 1.5385-1.5405 |
| Boiling Point | 204.7 C |
Resources and Citations
- G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 97
- Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993
- The Merck Index, Martha Windholz (ed.), Merck Research Labs, Rahway NJ, 10th edition, 1983
- Richard C. Wolbers, Nanette T. Sterman, Chris Stavroudis, Notes for Workshop on New Methods in the Cleaning of Paintings, J.Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles, 1990
- Michael McCann, Artist Beware, Watson-Guptill Publications, New York City, 1979
- Conservation Materials Ltd., Catalog
- Teri Hensick, contributed information, 1998