Triphenylmethanol

Triphenylmethanol is an aromatic organic compound. It is a white crystalline solid that is insoluble in water and petroleum ether, but well soluble in ethanol, diethyl ether and benzene. In strongly acidic solutions, it produces an intensely yellow color, due to the formation of a stable carbocation.

The preparation of triphenylmethanol from methyl benzoate and bromobenzene is a common laboratory experiment for teaching the Grignard reaction.^[2] An alternative starting material is diethylcarbonate.^[3]