creosote
chemistry
- Related Topics:
- coal tar
creosote, either of two entirely different substances, coal-tar creosote and wood-tar creosote. In commerce, creosote is a coal-tar distillate, a complex mixture of organic compounds, largely hydrocarbons. It is commonly used as a wood preservative. The creosote distilled from wood tar is a mixture of phenolic compounds; it once was used extensively for pharmaceutical purposes.