Structure via PubChem · Public domain (PubChem)
hexachlorophene
Also known as Septi-Soft, Pre-Op, Turgex, Hexa-Germ, Gamophen, Phiso-Scrub, Septisol, Soy-Dome
Hexachlorophene, also known as Nabac, is an organochlorine compound that was once widely used as a disinfectant. The compound occurs as a white odorless solid, although commercial samples can be off-white and possess a slightly phenolic odor. It is insoluble in water but dissolves in acetone, ethanol, diethyl ether, and chloroform. In medicine, hexachlorophene is useful as a topical anti-infective and anti-bacterial agent. It is also used in agriculture as a soil fungicide, plant bactericide, and acaricide. It has also been reported to bind tubulin, blocking its polymerization.
Key facts
- Drug.IUPAC_name
- 2,2'-methylenebis(3,4,6-trichlorophenol)-3,4,6-trichloro-2-[(2,3,5-trichloro-6-hydroxyphenyl)methyl]phenol
- Drug.image
- Hexachlorophen horizontal.svg
- Drug.image_class
- skin-invert-image
- Drug.alt
- Skeletal formula of hexachlorophene
- Drug.image2
- Hexachlorophene-3D-balls.png
- Drug.image_class2
- bg-transparent
- Drug.alt2
- Ball-and-stick model of the hexachlorophene molecule
- Drug.width2
- 200
- Drug.tradename
- pHisoHex, Gamophen, Septisol, Turgex, Germa-Medica, Hexachlorophane, Almederm
- Drug.legal_US
- Rx-only
- Drug.legal_US_comment
- for human use
- Drug.legal_status
~5 min read
Article
9 sectionsContents
- Production
- Safety
- Selective removal from market
- France
- United States
- Germany
- Austria
- Trade names
- References
Hexachlorophene, also known as Nabac, is an organochlorine compound that was once widely used as a disinfectant. The compound occurs as a white odorless solid, although commercial samples can be off-white and possess a slightly phenolic odor. It is insoluble in water but dissolves in acetone, ethanol, diethyl ether, and chloroform. In medicine, hexachlorophene is useful as a topical anti-infective and anti-bacterial agent. It is also used in agriculture as a soil fungicide, plant bactericide, and acaricide. It has also been reported to bind tubulin, blocking its polymerization.
==Production== Hexachlorophene is produced by alkylation of 2,4,5-trichlorophenol with formaldehyde. Related antiseptics are prepared similarly, e.g., bromochlorophene and dichlorophene.