1-Naphthol, or α-naphthol, is an

organic compound Some chemical authorities define an organic compound as a chemical compound that contains a carbon–hydrogen or carbon–carbon bond; others consider an organic compound to be any chemical compound that contains carbon. For example, carbon-co ...

with the formula . It is a

fluorescent Fluorescence is one of two kinds of photoluminescence, the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed light or other electromagnetic radiation. When exposed to ultraviolet radiation, many substances will glow (fluoresce) with color ...

white solid. 1-Naphthol differs from its

isomer In chemistry, isomers are molecules or polyatomic ions with identical molecular formula – that is, the same number of atoms of each element (chemistry), element – but distinct arrangements of atoms in space. ''Isomerism'' refers to the exi ...

2-naphthol 2-Naphthol, or β-naphthol, is a fluorescent colorless (or occasionally yellow) crystalline solid with the formula C10H7OH. It is an isomer of 1-naphthol, differing by the location of the hydroxyl group on the naphthalene ring. The naphthols are ...

by the location of the

hydroxyl group In chemistry, a hydroxy or hydroxyl group is a functional group with the chemical formula and composed of one oxygen atom covalently bonded to one hydrogen atom. In organic chemistry, alcohols and carboxylic acids contain one or more hydroxy ...

on the

naphthalene Naphthalene is an organic compound with formula . It is the simplest polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, and is a white Crystal, crystalline solid with a characteristic odor that is detectable at concentrations as low as 0.08 Parts-per notation ...

ring. The naphthols are naphthalene homologues of

phenol Phenol (also known as carbolic acid, phenolic acid, or benzenol) is an aromatic organic compound with the molecular formula . It is a white crystalline solid that is volatile and can catch fire. The molecule consists of a phenyl group () ...

. Both isomers are soluble in simple

organic solvents A solvent (from the Latin language, Latin ''wikt:solvo#Latin, solvō'', "loosen, untie, solve") is a substance that dissolves a solute, resulting in a Solution (chemistry), solution. A solvent is usually a liquid but can also be a solid, a gas ...

. They are precursors to a variety of useful compounds.

Production

1-Naphthol is prepared by two main routes. In one method, naphthalene is nitrated to give 1-nitronaphthalene, which is hydrogenated to the amine followed by hydrolysis: : : : Alternatively, naphthalene is hydrogenated to

tetralin Tetralin (1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene) is a hydrocarbon having the chemical formula C10H12. It is a partially hydrogenated derivative of naphthalene. It is a colorless liquid that is used as a hydrogen-donor solvent. Production Tetralin is pr ...

, which is oxidized to 1-tetralone, which undergoes

dehydrogenation In chemistry, dehydrogenation is a chemical reaction that involves the removal of hydrogen, usually from an organic molecule. It is the reverse of hydrogenation. Dehydrogenation is important, both as a useful reaction and a serious problem. At ...

Reactions

Some reactions of 1-naphthol are explicable with reference to its tautomerism, which produces a small amount of the keto tautomer. : Alpha-naphthol tautomerism

One consequence of this tautomerism is the

Bucherer reaction The Bucherer reaction in organic chemistry is the reversible conversion of a naphthol to a naphthylamine in the presence of ammonia and sodium bisulfite. The reaction is widely used in the synthesis of dye precursors aminonaphthalenesulfonic ac ...

, the ammonolysis of 1-naphthol to give 1-aminonaphthalene. 1-Naphthol biodegrades via formation of 1-naphthol-3,4-oxide, which converts to

1,4-naphthoquinone 1,4-Naphthoquinone or para-naphthoquinone is a quinone derived from naphthalene. It forms volatile yellow triclinic crystals and has a sharp odor similar to benzoquinone. It is almost insoluble in cold water, slightly soluble in petroleum ethe ...

. The 4-position of 1-naphthol is susceptible to electrophilic attack. This regioselective reaction is exploited in the preparation of diazo dyes, which are form using

diazonium salt Diazonium compounds or diazonium salts are a group of organic compounds sharing a common functional group where R can be any organic group, such as an alkyl or an aryl, and X is an inorganic or organic anion, such as a halide. The parent, comp ...

s. Reduction of the diazo derivatives gives 4-amino-1-naphthol. Partial reduction of 1-naphthol gives the tetrahydro derivative, leaving intact the phenol ring. Full hydrogenation is catalyzed by rhodium.

Applications and occurrence

1-Naphthol is a precursor to a variety of insecticides including

carbaryl Carbaryl (1-naphthyl methylcarbamate) is a chemical in the carbamate family used chiefly as an insecticide. It is a white crystalline solid previously sold under the brand name Sevin, which was a trademark of the Bayer Company. Union Carbide disc ...

and pharmaceuticals including

nadolol Nadolol, sold under the brand name Corgard among others, is a medication used to treat hypertension, high blood pressure, angina pectoris, heart pain, atrial fibrillation, and some Channelopathy, inherited arrhythmic syndromes. It has also been u ...

as well as for the

antidepressant Antidepressants are a class of medications used to treat major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, chronic pain, and addiction. Common side effects of antidepressants include Xerostomia, dry mouth, weight gain, dizziness, headaches, akathi ...

sertraline Sertraline, sold under the brand name Zoloft among others, is an Antidepressant, antidepressant medication of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) class used to treat major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, socia ...

and the anti-protozoan therapeutic

atovaquone Atovaquone, sold under the brand name Mepron, is an antimicrobial medication for the prevention and treatment of ''Pneumocystis jirovecii'' pneumonia (PCP). Atovaquone is a chemical compound that belongs to the class of naphthoquinones. Atova ...

. It undergoes

azo coupling In organic chemistry, an azo coupling is an organic reaction, reaction between a diazonium compound () and another aromatic compound that produces an azo compound (). In this electrophilic aromatic substitution reaction, the aryldiazonium cation ...

to give various

azo dye Azo dyes are organic compounds bearing the functional group R−N=N−R′, in which R and R′ are usually aryl and substituted aryl groups. They are a commercially important family of azo compounds, i.e. compounds containing the C−N=N−C l ...

s, but these are generally less useful than those derived from 2-naphthol.
full-text PDF
/ref> 1-Naphthol is a metabolite of the insecticide

and

. Along with TCPy, it has been shown to decrease testosterone levels in adult men.

Other uses

1-Naphthol is used in each of the following chemical tests, which predate the use of spectroscopic and chromatographic methods: *

Molisch's test Molisch's test is a sensitive chemical test, named after Austrian botanist Hans Molisch, for the presence of carbohydrates, based on the dehydration of the carbohydrate by sulfuric acid or hydrochloric acid to produce an aldehyde, which condenses ...

gives a red- or purple-colored compound to indicate the presence of

carbohydrate A carbohydrate () is a biomolecule composed of carbon (C), hydrogen (H), and oxygen (O) atoms. The typical hydrogen-to-oxygen atomic ratio is 2:1, analogous to that of water, and is represented by the empirical formula (where ''m'' and ''n'' ...

. * rapid furfural test turns purple quickly (<30s) if

fructose Fructose (), or fruit sugar, is a Ketose, ketonic monosaccharide, simple sugar found in many plants, where it is often bonded to glucose to form the disaccharide sucrose. It is one of the three dietary monosaccharides, along with glucose and gal ...

is present, distinguishing it from glucose. *

Sakaguchi test The Sakaguchi test is a chemical test used to detect presence of arginine in proteins. It is named after the Japanese food scientist and organic chemist, Shoyo Sakaguchi (1900–1995) who described the test in 1925. The Sakaguchi reagent used ...

turns red to indicate the presence of

arginine Arginine is the amino acid with the formula (H2N)(HN)CN(H)(CH2)3CH(NH2)CO2H. The molecule features a guanidinium, guanidino group appended to a standard amino acid framework. At physiological pH, the carboxylic acid is deprotonated (−CO2−) a ...

in proteins. *

Voges–Proskauer test Voges–Proskauer or VP is a test used to detect acetoin in a bacterial broth culture. The test is performed by adding alpha-naphthol and potassium hydroxide to the Voges-Proskauer broth, which is a glucose-phosphate broth that has been inocula ...

changes color from yellow to red to indicate that

glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecular formula , which is often abbreviated as Glc. It is overall the most abundant monosaccharide, a subcategory of carbohydrates. It is mainly made by plants and most algae d ...

is being broken down into

acetoin Acetoin, also known as 3-hydroxybutanone or acetyl methyl carbinol, is an organic compound with the formula CH3CH(OH)C(O)CH3. It is a colorless liquid with a pleasant, buttery odor. It is chiral. The form produced by bacteria is (''R'')-acetoin. ...

which is used by bacteria for external energy storage.

Safety

1-Naphthol has been described as "moderately toxic".

References

External links

NIST Chemistry WebBook 1-Naphthalenol
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Naphthol, 1- 1-Naphthyl compounds