Compounds · Phenols · Heat (Maillard reaction and pyrolysis)
Syringol
Also known as 2,6-Dimethoxyphenol — an analysis may use any of these names
Wood smoke, smokehouse, black tea. Heavier than guaiacol and stays longer.
- CAS
- 91-10-1
- Formula
- C8H10O3
- Molar mass
- 154.16
- Odour threshold
- —
- Boiling point
- ≈ 261 °C at atmospheric pressure
Where it comes from
Biosynthetic pathway: Heat (Maillard reaction and pyrolysis) — fire breaks large molecules into ones you can smell.
For the same reason as guaiacol: syringol is a fragment of lignin under heat. It has two methoxy groups instead of one, and that is the signature of broad-leaved trees rather than conifers — every wood smoke carries the mark of the tree that burned.
Why it sits where it does
A phenol with two methoxy groups, heavier than guaiacol and able to form more hydrogen bonds, so it sits at the very end of the band.
Where else you meet it
Hardwood smoke, long-smoked foods, and smoked tea.