The New International Encyclopædia/Aristol

AR′ISTOL. A light-brown, amorphous powder formed by the union of iodine and thymol. It contains 45.8 per cent. of iodine, and chemically it is dithymol-diiodide. Insoluble in water and glycerin, it is freely soluble in ether and fatty oils, and slightly so in alcohol. Its action is similar to that of iodoform (q.v.), but it possesses the advantage of being odorless. Being an unstable compound, it cannot be mixed with substances which have a tendency to combine with iodine, and so is best used alone. It is used as a substitute for iodoform, as a cicatrizant and mild antiseptic, in dressing wounds.