Studies of Methyl Isocyanate Chemistry in the Bhopal Incident

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/jo00370a007

Following the methyl isocyanate leak from Tank 610 at the Bhopal plant, the residual material from the tank was analyzed for its contents.Approximately 70percent of the residue was comprised of three cyclic materials: 1,3,5-trimethyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6(1H,3H,5H)-trione or methyl isocyanate trimer (5), 1,3-dimethyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6(1H,3H,5H)-trione or dimethyl isocyanurate (6), and dihydro-1,3,5-trimethyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-(1H,3H)-dione or dihydrotrimethyltriazinedione (7).Minor quantities of methyl-substituted ureas, biurets, and amine hydrochlorides were also found.The composition of the residue was replicated very closely by the products obtained when a mixture of methyl isocyanate (84.4percent), chloroform (12.0percent), and water (3.6percent) was heated at 225 deg C under pressure in a stainless steel reactor.Experimental results are consistent with the view that under these conditions methyl isocyanate reacts initially with water to form 1,3-dimethylurea (1) and 1,3,5-trimethylbiuret (2).At temperatures between 100 deg C and 225 deg C these products decompose to reactive intermediates which further react exothermically to form the aforementioned cyclic materials, trimethylurea, and mono-, di-, and trimethylamine hydrochlorides.The decomposition of 1 and 2 is facilitated by the presence of chloroform and metals.Other experiments involving 13C-enriched chloroform have given support to the proposed mechanisms for formation of 6 and 7.