pyrogallol

pyrogallol (pī"rōgăl'ōl) [key]or pyrogallic acid (–ik) [key], C₆H₆O₃, white, crystalline, aromatic compound with a biting taste; it is poisonous. It melts at 133°C and boils at 309°C. In alkaline solution it is an active reducing agent. Pyrogallol is widely used in photographic developing and in the manufacture of some dyes. Chemically it is a phenol; its IUPAC name is 1,2,3-trihydroxybenzene.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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