Illustrated Glossary of Organic Chemistry

Bisphenol A: The phenol having the molecular structure shown below. IUPAC name 4,4'-(propane-2,2-diyl)diphenol. Commonly used as a monomer in epoxy resins and other polymers. Recently use of bisphenol A has raised health concerns, because this molecule can be an estrogen mimic.

Polymerization of bisphenol A (a monomer) with epichlorohydrin (a monomer) yields a commonly used epoxy resin copolymer. The polymer structure is colored to show the monomers.