Question

Joseph Lister discovered carbolic acid for use in antiseptic surgery in 1834 which saved many mothers during childbirth in those days. Carbolic acid was the name used for:
A.Benzene
B.Phenol
C.Iodoform
D.Chloroform

Answer 1

Hint: Carbolic acid is a very poisonous chemical substance. The simplest phenol that consists of a benzene ring attached to a hydroxyl group \[\left( { - OH} \right)\]. It is a poisonous, white, and crystalline compound which is also used to make plastics and drugs.

Complete step by step answer:
Joseph Lister who was 1st Baron Lister, was a British surgeon and a pioneer of antiseptic surgery. He is popular for being the founder of antiseptic surgery which is a significant advance in medicine developed in the early nineteenth century. A French chemist, named Pasteur had killed germs by boiling, a technique which could not be used on patients, but chemicals that killed germs could be applied to wounds, instruments, the surgeon’s hands, and to bandages also. Carbolic acid, which is now known as phenol, was known as a deodorizing agent and preservative for a long time, and Lister thought it might kill the germs that were causing infections. In 1865, Joseph Lister started using carbolic acid as an antiseptic during surgeries and in bandaging afterward. He published his results in 1867.
Carbolic acid is mainly a poisonous chemical substance that is made from tar and found in some plants and essential oils, the scented liquid taken from plants. Carbolic acid is used to make plastics, epoxy, medicines, nylon, and to kill germs. It is also called phenol.
As we know that, Carbolic acid is another name for phenol, especially when it is used as an antiseptic or disinfectant.

Therefore, the correct answer is option (B).

Note: Phenol or Carbolic acid is one of the oldest antiseptic agents used. In rural India, and apart from being used in many commercially available products, it is also often used in the household to prevent snake infestation.