Britannica AI Icon

Quick Summary

The term "tar acid" refers to phenols, such as phenol, cresols, and xylenols, that are derived from tar, particularly coal tar. Tar-acid oil is an oil that contains a significant percentage of these tar acids, typically between 10% and 55%. This oil is obtained either through the distillation of coal tar or by dissolving tar acids into coal-tar oils.12

It is important to distinguish "tar acid" from "tartaric acid," which is a different chemical compound. Tartaric acid is a dicarboxylic acid found in many plants and is a byproduct of wine fermentation.3

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
3 Britannica Sources
  1. tar acid
  2. tartaric acid
  3. tar-acid oil

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.