Phenol

Carbolic acid, benzenol, phenylic acid, hydroxybenzene, phenic acid

Toxic, Corrosive, Mutagen, Carcinogen Cat. 3

Medical Research Use
A Guanidinium thiocyanate- Phenol -Chloroform process used in DNA and RNA extraction. Salt is a common impurity, and must be removed before analysis. The steps of nucleic acid purification are cell lysis, inactivation of cellular nucleases,  and separation of nucleic acid from cell debris. The combination of these chemicals effectively isolates DNA, RNA, and proteins.

source: Tan, Siun Chee, and Beow Chin Yiap. "DNA, RNA, and Protein Extraction: The Past and Present."J. Biomed Biotechnol. 30 November 2009. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2789530/

Substitutes
 RapidClean can be irritating to eyes, respiratory tract, and skin and contains a material that has been known to cause target organ damage.
 * RapidClean

 There are no sources that state RapidClean is a greener alternative to phenol.

 StrataClean has no known significant immediate or chronic health effects.
 * StrataClean Resins

 There is more literature concerning the saftety of StrataClean, and it is therefore considered less harmful (and a better alternative to phenol)than RapidClean.