Pyrocatechin

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A chemical compound belonging to the class of dihydroxybenzenes with two hydroxyl groups attached to a benzene ring
2. An organic molecule characterized by a benzene structure bonded to two hydroxyl groups located adjacent to each other
3. A dihydroxybenzene chemical featuring hydroxyl groups on neighboring carbon atoms of a benzene ring

Etymology: Chemists first obtained this compound by heating a plant product. The "pyro-" comes from Greek "pyr," meaning fire, and the rest of the name points to catechin, the substance it was made from. Catechin was extracted from catechu, a dark plant extract used in dyeing and tanning, and whose name traces back to a Malay word. Heating catechin in a dry distillation produced a new compound, and the name "pyrocatechin" recorded that origin: a catechin-derived substance made by fire. The name was later shortened to catechol, which keeps the catechu root and adds "-ol," the ending used for compounds with hydroxyl groups, as in alcohol. Both names describe the same molecule, with its two adjacent hydroxyl groups on a benzene ring.