A colourless crystalline compound, C6H5CHOHCOC6H5; m.p. 137°C. It is a condensation product of benzenecarbaldehyde (benzaldehyde), made by the action of sodium cyanide on benzenecarbaldehyde in alcoholic solution. It also occurs naturally as the resin of a tropical tree. It is both a secondary alcohol and a ketone, and gives reactions characteristic of both types of compound.