描述
Salicyl alcohol, also known as saligenin or 2-hydroxybenzyl alcohol, is a member of the class of compounds known as benzyl alcohols. Benzyl alcohols are organic compounds containing the phenylmethanol substructure. Salicyl alcohol is soluble (in water) and a very weakly acidic compound (based on its pKa). Salicyl alcohol can be synthesized from phenol and benzyl alcohol. Salicyl alcohol can also be synthesized into salicin. Salicyl alcohol can be found in a number of food items such as red huckleberry, rye, jerusalem artichoke, and ceylon cinnamon, which makes salicyl alcohol a potential biomarker for the consumption of these food products. Salicyl alcohol (saligenin) is precursor of salicylic acid and is formed from salicin by enzymatic hydrolysis by Salicyl-alcohol beta-D-glucosyltransferase or by acid hydrolysis .