ABSTRACT
Aromatic rings bearing a hydroxyl group, including functional derivatives such as esters, methyl ethers, and glycosides, are called phenolics. The Plant Phenolics Group, constituted in England in 1957, recognized phenolics as a discrete group of biogenetically related plant metabolites. In 1960 the Plant Phenolics Group was renamed the Phytochemical Society of Europe. Another organization called Le Group Polyphenols, was constituted by French scientists in 1970. The first monograph on phenolic compounds, written by Harborne (1), was published in 1964.
