2-Ethoxyphenol

2-Ethoxyphenol is the monoethyl ether of catechol — a colorless to pale yellow transparent liquid at room temperature that may partially solidify when cold, with a mild odor. The molecule carries both a phenolic hydroxyl and an ethoxy group, combining the reactivity of phenols and ethers and serving as an important bifunctional intermediate in drug synthesis.

The phenolic hydroxyl is weakly acidic and can be salted, etherified and esterified, or oxidized to quinone-type structures; the ethoxy group is stable and alkali-resistant. Under the joint electron-donating effect of the hydroxyl and ethoxy groups, the ring undergoes electrophilic substitution (bromination, nitration, sulfonation) with ease, enabling a variety of ortho-substituted benzene derivatives.