See Also: pinacol(dictionary)

pinacol (iou)



pinacol noun. E20.
[from PINAC(ONE + -OL.]
Chemistry. An alcohol having two hydroxyl groups bonded to adjacent tertiary carbon atoms; spec. the simplest alcohol of this kind, 1,4-dimethylpropan-2,3-diol, (CH3)2C(OH)C(OH)(CH3)2 (also called tetramethyl ethylene glycol).
Comb.: pinacol rearrangement a reaction (as the conversion of pinacol into pinacolone) in which a 1,2-glycol loses water on heating with acid to form a ketone.