phenol-formaldehyde resin

phenol-formaldehyde resin, any of a number of synthetic resins made by reacting phenol (an aromatic alcohol derived from benzene) with formaldehyde (a reactive gas derived from methane). Phenol-formaldehyde resins were the first completely synthetic polymers to be commercialized. In the first decades of the 20th century, Bakelite, a trademarked phenolic plastic, revolutionized the market for molded and laminated parts for use in electrical equipment. Phenolics are still very important industrial polymers, though their most common...