118-74-1 Usage
Description
Hexachlorobenzene is a white crystalline solid that does not occur naturally. It is formed as a by-product during the manufacture of chemicals used as solvents, other chlorine-containing compounds, and pesticides. HEXACHLOROBENZENE is characterized by its white powder form and needle-like crystallization. It is insoluble in water, denser than water, and may irritate skin, eyes, and mucous membranes. Ingestion of hexachlorobenzene may be toxic. It was widely used as a pesticide until 1965 and has been banned since 1984 under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.
Uses
Used in Agricultural Industry:
Hexachlorobenzene is used as a fungicide for seed treatment, particularly for onions, sorghum, wheat, and other grains. It helps protect seeds from fungal infections, ensuring healthy plant growth.
Used in Chemical Synthesis:
Hexachlorobenzene serves as an intermediate in organic synthesis, aiding in the production of various organic chemicals and contributing to the development of new compounds.
Used in Manufacturing Industry:
In the past, hexachlorobenzene was used as a chemical intermediate in dye manufacturing, the synthesis of other organic chemicals, and the production of pyrotechnic compositions for military applications. It was also utilized as a raw material for synthetic rubber, a plasticizer for polyvinyl chloride, a porosity controller in the manufacture of electrodes, and a wood preservative.
Synthesis Reference(s)
Journal of the American Chemical Society, 69, p. 3146, 1947 DOI: 10.1021/ja01204a507
Air & Water Reactions
HEXACHLOROBENZENE is sensitive to moisture. Insoluble in water.
Reactivity Profile
HEXACHLOROBENZENE reacts violently with dimethylformamide. .
Hazard
Possible carcinogen. Toxic by ingestion.
Combustible.
Health Hazard
Harmful by dust inhalation or if swallowed. Irritating to eyes, skin and mucous membranes. Prolonged periods of ingestion may cause cutaneous porphyria.
Health Hazard
The acute oral and inhalation toxicity ofhexachlorobenzene is low in test animals.Repeated ingestion of this compound mayproduce porphyria hepatica (increased for mation and excretion of porphyrin) causedby disturbances in liver metabolism. The oralLD50 value in rabbits is 2600 mg/kg; theinhalation LC50 value from a single exposureis 1800 mg/m3 (NIOSH 1986). The occupa tional health hazard from inhalation shouldbe very low because of its very low vaporpressure (0.00001 torr).Hexachlorobenzene causes cancer in ani mals. Oral administration of this compoundfor 18 weeks to 2 years caused tumors inthe liver, kidney, thyroid, and blood in rats,mice, and hamsters. It is a suspected humancarcinogen, evidence of which occurs to alimited extent.
Fire Hazard
Noncombustible solid; very low reactiv ity. Reaction with dimethyl formamide is
reported to be violent at temperatures above
65°C (149°F) (NFPA 1997).
Potential Exposure
Hexachlorobenzene was used as a fun gicide; an additive for pyrotechnic compositions; and as
wood preservative. It was used widely as a pesticide to pro tect seeds of onions and sorghum, wheat, and other grains
against fungus until 1965. This material was used to make
fireworks; ammunition for military uses; synthetic rubber;
as a porosity controller in the manufacture of electrodes; as
an intermediate in dye manufacture; in organic synthesis. It
is formed as a by-product of making other chemicals; in
the waste streams of chloralkali and wood-preserving
plants; and when burning municipal waste. Currently, there
are no commercial uses of hexachlorobenzene in the United
States.
Carcinogenicity
Hexachlorobenzene is reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen based on sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity from studies in experimental animals.
Source
Hexachlorobenzene may enter the environment from incomplete combustion of
chlorinated compounds including mirex, kepone, chlorobenzenes, pentachlorophenol, PVC,
polychlorinated biphenyls, and chlorinated solvents (Ahling et al., 1978; Dellinger et al., 1991). In
addition, hexachlorobenzene may enter the environment as a reaction by-product in the production
of carbon tetrachloride, dichloroethylene, hexachlorobutadiene, trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene,
pentachloronitrobenzene, and vinyl chloride monomer (quoted, Verschueren, 1983).
Environmental Fate
Biological. Reductive monodechlorination occurred in an anaerobic sewage sludge yielding principally 1,3,5-trichlorobenzene. Other compounds identified included pentachlorobenzene, 1,2,3,5-tetrachlorobenzene and dichlorobenzenes (Fathepure et al., 1988). In activated sludge, only 1.5% of the applied hexachlorobenzene mineralized to carbon dioxide after 5 days (Freitag et al., 1985). In a 5-day experiment, 14C-labeled hexachlorobenzene applied to soil-water suspensions under aerobic and anaerobic conditions gave 14CO2 yields of 0.4 and 0.2%, respectively (Scheunert et al., 1987).When hexachlorobenzene was statically incubated in the dark at 25°C with yeast extract and settled domestic wastewater inoculum, no signi?cant biodegradation was observed. At a concentration of 5 mg/L, percent losses after 7, 14, 21 and 28-day incubationGroundwater. According to the U.S. EPA (1986) hexachlorobenzene has a high potential to leach to groundwater.Photolytic. Solid hexachlorobenzene exposed to arti?cial sunlight for 5 months photolyzed at a very slow rate with no decomposition products identified (Plimmer and Klingebiel, 1976). The sunlight irradiation of hexachlorobenzene (20 g) in a 100 mL borosilicate glass-stoppered Erlenmeyer ?ask for 56 days yielded 64 ppm pentachlorobiphenyl (Uyeta et al., 1976). A carbon dioxide yield <0.1% was observed when hexachlorobenzene adsorbed on silica gel was irradiated with light (λ >290 nm) for 17 hours (Freitag et al., 1985).Irradiation (λ ≥285 nm) of hexachlorobenzene (1.1–1.2 mM/L) in an acetonitrile-water mixture containing acetone (concentration = 0.553 mM/L) as a sensitizer gave the following products (% yield): pentachlorobenzene (71.0), 1,2,3,4-tetrachlorobenzene (0.6)
Metabolic pathway
With the incubation of rat liver microsomes,
hexachlorobenzene is metabolized to give
pentachlorophenol and tetrachlorohydroquinone, and,
in addition, a considerable amount of covalent binding
to protein is detected (250 pM pentachlorophenol,
17 pM tetrachlorohydroquinone, and 11 pM
tetrachlorobenzoquinone covalent binding in an
incubation containing 50 μM hexachlorobenzene).
Metabolism
Sensitized photolysis of HCB at wavelengths greater
than 285 nm in acetonitrile/water containing acetone gave
dechlorinated products: pentachlorobenzene (78) (71%),
1,2,3,4-tetrachlorobenzene (79) (0.6%), 1,2,3,5-tetrachlorobenzene
(80) (2.2%), and 1,2,4,5- tetrachlorobenzene
(81) (3.7%). Without acetone, products included
pentachlorobenzene (78) (76.8%), 1,2,3,5-tetrachlorobenzene
(80) (1.2%), 1,2,4,5- tetrachlorobenzene (81) (1.7%),
and 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene (82) (0.2%) (105).
Irradiation of hexachlorobenzene in methanol solution
at wavelengths greater than 260 nm gave a
mixture of reductively dechlorinated products (pentachlorobenzene
and a tetrachlorobenzene, probably 80)
and pentachlorobenzyl alcohol 83, and also a tetrachlorodi(
hydroxymethyl)benzene (106). A similar product
mixture was obtained by exposing a methanolic solution of
hexachlorobenzene inmethanol to sunlight outdoors. After
15 days, only 30% of hexachlorobenzene was recovered.
Photolysis rates were enhanced by the addition of sensitizers
(diphenylamine, tryptophane, and naturally occurring
organic substances), but no products were identified.
In an anaerobic sewage sludge, hexachlorobenzene was
reductively dechlorinated and the principal product was
1,3,5-trichlorobenzene (84). Pentachlorobenzene, 1,2,3,5-
tetrachlorobenzene, and dichlorobenzenes were also identified
(107). In activated sludge, 1.5% of hexachlorobenzene
was mineralized as carbon dioxide after 5 days.
Solubility in organics
In millimole fraction at 25 °C: 2.62 in n-hexane, 3.14 in n-heptane, 3.71 in n-octane, 4.10 in nnonane,
4.60 in n-decane, 6.81 in n-hexadecane, 2.95 in cyclohexane, 3.87 in methylcyclohexane,
2.52 in 2,2,4-trimethylpentane, 4.71 in tert-butylcyclohexane, 4.40 in dibutyl ether, 3.20
in methyl tert-butyl ether, 5.92 in tetrahydrofuran, 3.97 in 1,4-dioxane, 0.0902 in methanol,
0.236 in ethanol, 0.398 in 1-propanol, 0.298 in 2-propanol, 0.667 in 1-butanol, 0.521 in 2-
butanol, 0.533 in 2-methyl-1-propanol, 0.517 in 2-methyl-2-propanol, 1.03 in 1-pentanol, 0.860
in 2-propanol, 0.770 in 3-methyl-1-butanol, 1.20 on 2-methyl-2-butanol, 1.44 in 1-hexanol, 1.40
in 2-methyl-1-pentanol, 1.43 in 4-methyl-2-pentanol, 1.90 in 1-heptanol, 2.38 in 1-octanol, 1.74
in 2-ethyl-1-hexanol, 3.80 in 1-decanol, 0.920 in cyclopentanol, 3.65 in butyl acetate, 2.11 in
ethyl acetate, 1.48 in methyl acetate, 2.86 in 1,2-dichloroethane, 3.83 in 1-chlorobutane, 5.08 in
1-chlorohexane, 6.06 in 1-chlorooctane, 6.10 in chlorocyclohexane (De Fina et al., 2000)
Solubility in water
In millimole fraction at 25 °C: 2.62 in n-hexane, 3.14 in n-heptane, 3.71 in n-octane, 4.10 in nnonane,
4.60 in n-decane, 6.81 in n-hexadecane, 2.95 in cyclohexane, 3.87 in methylcyclohexane,
2.52 in 2,2,4-trimethylpentane, 4.71 in tert-butylcyclohexane, 4.40 in dibutyl ether, 3.20
in methyl tert-butyl ether, 5.92 in tetrahydrofuran, 3.97 in 1,4-dioxane, 0.0902 in methanol,
0.236 in ethanol, 0.398 in 1-propanol, 0.298 in 2-propanol, 0.667 in 1-butanol, 0.521 in 2-
butanol, 0.533 in 2-methyl-1-propanol, 0.517 in 2-methyl-2-propanol, 1.03 in 1-pentanol, 0.860
in 2-propanol, 0.770 in 3-methyl-1-butanol, 1.20 on 2-methyl-2-butanol, 1.44 in 1-hexanol, 1.40
in 2-methyl-1-pentanol, 1.43 in 4-methyl-2-pentanol, 1.90 in 1-heptanol, 2.38 in 1-octanol, 1.74
in 2-ethyl-1-hexanol, 3.80 in 1-decanol, 0.920 in cyclopentanol, 3.65 in butyl acetate, 2.11 in
ethyl acetate, 1.48 in methyl acetate, 2.86 in 1,2-dichloroethane, 3.83 in 1-chlorobutane, 5.08 in
1-chlorohexane, 6.06 in 1-chlorooctane, 6.10 in chlorocyclohexane (De Fina et al., 2000)
Shipping
UN2729 Hexachlorobenzene, Hazard Class: 6.1;
Labels: 6.1-Poisonous materials.
Purification Methods
Crystallise hexachlorobenzene repeatedly from *benzene. Dry it under vacuum over P2O5. [Beilstein 5 H 205, 5 IV 670.]
Degradation
Hexachlorobenzene is very stable and is unreactive toward acids and
bases.
Photolysis is very slow and in artificial sunlight, solid HCB photodecomposed
after 5 months. In sunlight, 20 g of HCB contained in a borosilicate flask gave a concentration of 64 mg kg-1 of pentachlorobiphenyl
after 56 days (Uyeta et al., 1976).
Sensitised photolysis of HCB in an acetonitrile/water mixture containing
acetone at wavelengths greater than 285 nm gave the following products:
pentachlorobenzene (2) (71%), 1,2,3,4-tetrachlorobenzene (3)
(0.6%), 1,2,3,5-tetrachlorobenzene (4) (2.2%) and 1,2,4,5-tetrachlorobenzene
(5) (3.7%). In the absence of acetone, products identified included
2 (76.8%), 4 (1.2%), 5 (1.7%) and 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene (6) (0.2%)
(Choudhry and Hutzinger, 1984) (see Scheme 1).
Toxicity evaluation
There are no reports of avian casualties, although raptors
found dead in The Netherlands had substantial levels
of HCB in their livers along with cyclodiene and DDE
residues (33). The same authors reported porphyria in
quail following a 3-month dosing period with 20-ppm
HCB. Product registrations in Canada at the time allowed
up to 1000 ppm on various cereal seeds. In the early
1970s, levels in the range of 3–4 ppm (fresh weight
basis) were seen in eggs of fish-eating birds of the
Great Lakes and likely contributed to the high levels
of embryonic mortality seen (34). However, because HCB
is also an intermediate in the manufacture of several
chemicals, industrial pollution rather than use of the
chemical on farm fields could have been the source of
the contamination.
Incompatibilities
Reacts violently with oxidizers; dimethyl
formamide above 65 ℃.
Waste Disposal
Incineration is most effective
@ 1300 ℃ and 0.25 seconds. Consult with environmental
regulatory agencies for guidance on acceptable disposal
practices. Generators of waste containing this contaminant
(≥100 kg/mo) must conform to EPA regulations governing
storage, transportation, treatment, and waste disposal.
Check Digit Verification of cas no
The CAS Registry Mumber 118-74-1 includes 6 digits separated into 3 groups by hyphens. The first part of the number,starting from the left, has 3 digits, 1,1 and 8 respectively; the second part has 2 digits, 7 and 4 respectively.
Calculate Digit Verification of CAS Registry Number 118-74:
(5*1)+(4*1)+(3*8)+(2*7)+(1*4)=51
51 % 10 = 1
So 118-74-1 is a valid CAS Registry Number.
InChI:InChI=1/C6Cl6/c7-1-2(8)4(10)6(12)5(11)3(1)9
118-74-1Relevant articles and documents
-
Brown et al.
, p. 634 (1960)
-
Formation of PCDDs and PCDFs during the combustion of polyvinylidene chloride and other polymers in the presence of HCl
Ohta, Minoru,Oshima, Shozo,Osawa, Naoki,Iwasa, Toshio,Nakamura, Tadashi
, p. 1521 - 1531 (2004)
PVDC and three non-chlorinated polymers (PP, PET, and PA) were incinerated at 700-850°C in a laboratory-scale quartz tubular furnace in the presence of HCl (ca. 500 ppm?0.8 mg/l), and the gas-phase formation of PCDD/Fs, their putative precursors and their homologue profiles were investigated. The addition of HCl had little or no apparent effect on the level of PCDD/Fs formation during PVDC combustion, and their homologue profiles were quite different from those of the three non-chlorinated polymers. With PVDC, O 8CDD and particularly O8CDF were by far most prevalent, apparently as a result of the selective formation of the precursors. With each of the three non-chlorinated polymers, combustion at 800°C or higher in the presence of HCl resulted in PCDD/Fs formation at levels equaling or exceeding those observed with PVDC. In trials made with one of them (PP) under the same conditions but using a large polymer sample (100 mg vs 20 mg in all other trials), the level of PCDD/Fs formation was far higher than with the smaller polymer samples, and thus demonstrated the importance of appropriate combustion conditions for polymer incineration.
Reactions of selected molecular anions with oxygen
Knighton,Bognar,Grimsrud
, p. 557 - 562 (1995)
An investigation of the gas-phase reactions of molecular oxygen with the molecular anions of 17 compounds formed by resonance electron capture was undertaken using a pulsed e-beam high-pressure mass spectrometer. The molecular anions of sulphur hexafluoride, perfluromethylcyclohexane, cis- and trans-perfluorodecalin, m-chloronitrobenzene, o, m-and p-fluoronitrobenzene and o-, m- and p-dinitrobenzene were found to be unreactive towards oxygen. Those of o- and p-chloronitrobenzene, penta- and perchlorobenzene, perfluorobenzene, and perfluoratoluene were found to react readily with oxygen The second-order rate constants for these reactions are shown to bear so inverse dependence on temperature. The reactions involving o- and p-chloronitrabenezene and penta-and perchlorobenzene proceed via a branched mechanism by which an ion of the type [M + O - Cl]- and Cl- ion are simultaneously produced. A greater variety of negative ions are formed in the reactions of the molecular anions of perfluorobenzene and perfluorotoluene with oxygen The electron affinities of pentachlorobenzene (0.7 eV) and perchlorobenzene (1.0 eV) are also reported for the first time.
-
Berthelot,Jungfleisch
, p. 330 (1868)
-
-
McBee,Devaney
, p. 803 (1949)
-
-
Ross,Nazzewski
, p. 3146 (1947)
-
-
Miller,White
, p. 1249 (1960)
-
Ware,Borchert
, p. 2267,2269 (1961)
Formation of octachlorostyrene during the synthesis of chromium(iii) chloride
Mataruse,Yuknis,McDonald,Booth,Cleary,Twamley
, p. 69 - 74 (2002)
Octachlorostyrene has been recovered from the reaction tube, along with previously reported hexachlorobenzene, during the synthesis of CrCl3 from Cr2O3 and CCl4 at high temperature. The region in the reaction tube where the octachlorostyrene was found, namely upstream from the Cr2O3 held at 890°C, suggests that this molecule is formed at a temperature below 890°C and that it decomposes if raised to that temperature. A low gas flow was used in this experiment, allowing products to diffuse countercurrently. Copyright
FLUORINATION WITH POSITIVE FLUORINE GENERATED FROM ISOELECTRONICALLY RELATED REAGENTS
Cartwright, M.,Woolf, A. A.
, p. 101 - 122 (1982)
Compounds such as PhIF2, PhPF2 and XeF2, which have been used previously as unrelated fluorinating agents, are shown to be periodically related as isoelectronic molecules E3AF2 of trigonal-bipyramidal shape, where E represents a bonded or nonbonded electron pair and A a main Group V-VIII element.These compounds are arranged in order of halogenating ability by estimating the magnitude of reduction couples, approximated by ΔH0f(E3AF2-E3A), or by noting the direction of redox reactions involving the couples.The A sequence deduced Kr>Xe ca.Cl>Br>I>S>Se>Te-As-Sb>P agrees with the limited experimental data available.Evidence for an ionic mechanism involving 'onium' monohalide ions is given for halogenations with these reagents when carried out under "Friedel-Crafts" conditions although no stable salts containing these ions have as yet been isolated because of intramolecular halogenation.These ions act as sources of positive fluorine.The use of ring deactivated reagents to achieve halogenation is discussed.
-
Ruetman
, p. 382 (1975)
-
Isomerization of perchlorohexatriene in three consecutive rearrangements to perchloro-2-vinylbutadiene
Schollmeyer, Dieter,Detert, Heiner
supporting information, p. 843 - 846 (2017/02/18)
Perchlorohexatriene isomerizes in three subsequent rearrangements to perchloro-2-vinylbutadiene. A radical-induced Z-E-equilibration of linear perchlorohexatrienes is followed by cyclization to a methylenecyclopentene. Under flash-vacuum pyrolysis conditions, a ring contraction to 1,2-dimethylenecyclobutane occurs. In the condensed phase, a radical-induced ring opening generates the branched perchloro-vinylbutadiene. All compounds are converted to hexachlorobenzene, but only at very high temperatures.
METHOD FOR THE PRODUCTION OF 1,3,5-TRIFLUORO-2,4,6-TRICHLOROBENZENE FROM FLUOROBENZENE DERIVATIVES
-
Page/Page column 9, (2008/06/13)
Method for the production of 1,3,5-trifluoro-2,4,6-trichlorobenzene from fluorobenzene, comprising steps A) and B): A) chlorination of fluorobenzene derivatives of formula (II), in which X = fluorine or H, Z = nitro, bromo or chloro and n = 0 or 1-4 and B) fluorination of the distillation residue and separation by distillation of the 1,3,5-trifluoro-2,4,6-trichlorobenzene thus produced.