Compound

benzyl alcohol

A colorless liquid with a sharp burning taste and slight odor. It is used as a local anesthetic and to reduce pain associated with lidocaine injection. Also, it is used in the manufacture of other benzyl compounds, as a pharmaceutic aid, and in perfumery and flavoring.

Definition from MeSH (D019905), National Library of Medicine, read 2026-09-23. NLM revises MeSH; this copy may not reflect its current record.

CHEBI:17987ChEBI

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Structure

2D depiction · 3D model shown

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A generated conformer of benzyl alcohol — one low-energy arrangement PubChem computed, not a measured structure. Hydrogens are not drawn; the formula counts them.

Class: Organic compound
Formula: C7H8O
Mass: 108.14 g/mol
Charge: 0
InChIKey: WVDDGKGOMKODPV-UHFFFAOYSA-N
SMILES: OCc1ccccc1
Look it up: ChEBI PubChem By InChIKey

Identity from ChEBI, geometry from PubChem. Not evidence.

What it touches on the way

Mechanistic reach

1 entity

1 entities reached.

0 reported hops1 assembled from the scaffold

AKR1B1ProteinUNIPROT:P15121substrate ofInferred only22 paths22 endpoints

What the reference databases state

Statements

7 statements

7 statements · 1 reference database · Subject: benzyl alcohol · Sources: Rhea

Order

benzyl alcohol is converted to benzaldehydeCompoundRhea RHEA:59944Inferred only
benzyl alcohol is converted to benzaldehydeCompoundRhea RHEA:64696Inferred only
benzyl alcohol is converted to benzaldehydeCompoundRhea RHEA:80383Inferred only
benzaldehyde is converted to benzyl alcoholCompoundRhea RHEA:59944Inferred only
benzaldehyde is converted to benzyl alcoholCompoundRhea RHEA:64696Inferred only
benzaldehyde is converted to benzyl alcoholCompoundRhea RHEA:80383Inferred only
benzyl alcohol is a substrate of AKR1B1ProteinRhea RHEA:59944Inferred only

Reactions

9 reactions

CHEBI:58558+water+hydronbenzyl alcohol+L-leucine+carbon dioxide
Reaction pageDirection not assertedBalanced
Rhea RHEA:18901CC BY 4.0Reference data
CHEBI:368997+water+hydronbenzyl alcohol+glycine+carbon dioxide
Reaction pageDirection not assertedBalanced
Rhea RHEA:20900CC BY 4.0Reference data
CHEBI:57790+waterCHEBI:58112+benzyl alcohol+hydron
Reaction pageDirection not assertedBalanced
Rhea RHEA:23460CC BY 4.0Reference data
benzyl alcohol+benzoyl-CoACHEBI:41237+coenzyme A(4-)
Reaction pageDirection not assertedBalanced
Rhea RHEA:30411CC BY 4.0Reference data
benzyl alcohol+acetyl-CoACHEBI:52051+coenzyme A(4-)
Reaction pageDirection not assertedBalanced
Rhea RHEA:36147CC BY 4.0Reference data
CHEBI:17578+2reduced [2Fe-2S]-[ferredoxin]+dioxygen+2hydronbenzyl alcohol+2oxidized [2Fe-2S]-[ferredoxin]+water
Reaction pageDirection not assertedBalance undeterminable
Rhea RHEA:51592CC BY 4.0Reference data
benzyl alcohol+NADP(3-)benzaldehyde+NADPH(4-)+hydron
Catalysed by AKR1B1
Reaction pageDirection not assertedBalanced
Rhea RHEA:59944CC BY 4.0Reference data
benzyl alcohol+NAD(1-)benzaldehyde+NADH(2-)+hydron
Reaction pageDirection not assertedBalanced
Rhea RHEA:64696CC BY 4.0Reference data
benzyl alcohol+dioxygenbenzaldehyde+hydrogen peroxide
Reaction pageDirection not assertedBalanced
Rhea RHEA:80383CC BY 4.0Reference data

Other names

12 names

Resolves to: benzyl alcohol

Also called: (hydroxymethyl)benzenealpha-Hydroxytoluenealpha-toluenolAromatic alcoholbenzenecarbinolBenzenemethanolbenzylic alcoholHydroxymethylbenzenePhenylcarbinolPhenylmethanolphenylmethyl alcoholα-toluenol