Uses of Phenol

About half of world phenol production goes into making phenol-formaldehyde resin (Bakelite), an early and still-important thermosetting plastic. Phenol is also the starting material for several important drugs (phenacetin, salol, aspirin -- via salicylic acid), for the phenolphthalein indicator, and for the explosive picric acid. Because of its antiseptic and mildly germicidal properties, dilute phenol s …