2-Naphthol, or β-naphthol, is a fluorescent colorless (or occasionally yellow) crystalline solid with the formula C10H7OH.
It is an isomer of 1-naphthol, differing by the location of the hydroxyl group on the naphthalene ring.
Both isomers are soluble in simple alcohols, ethers, and chloroform.
Some reactions of 2-naphthol are explicable with reference to its tautomerism, which produces a small amount of the keto tautomer.
2-Naphthol can be oxidatively coupled to form BINOL, a C2-symmetric ligand popularized for use in asymmetric catalysis.