BAKELITE, a synthetic resin developed by Dr. L. H. Baekeland in America. It has many industrial applications, but chiefly as an electrical insulator. It is prepared by the chemical interaction of phenolic substances, such as phenol and cresol found in coal-tar, and aldehydes such as formaldehyde, a deriva tive of methyl alcohol obtained either synthetically or by the distillation of wood. (See BAEKELAND; RESINS, SYNTHETIC.)