CAS number
- 75-00-3
Molecular formula
- C2H5Cl
Formula weight
- 64.5 g/mol
Family
- Chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons (CAH)
Compound properties list|
| Melting/boiling point | -64 °C / 61 °C | Gas |
| Relative density | 0.89 g/cm3 | Liquid form floats on water |
| Vapour pressure | 1,100 mm Hg | Extremely volatile |
| Vapour density | 2.3 | Denser than air |
| Solubility in water | 5,700 mg/L | Moderately soluble |
| Henry's law constant | 1 x 10-2 atm·m3/mol | Rapid volatilization when dissolved |
| log Koc (Depending on soil or sediment characteristics) | | Weak adsorption to organic matter |
At 20 0C, chloroethane is a gas that is easily liquefied under pressure and is both stored
and transported by industry in its liquid form. When liquid, it floats on water and is extremely
volatile. Moderately soluble, it rapidly volatilizes when dissolved and only binds weakly to organic
matter. During a spill of liquefied chloroethane, the majority of the product will volatilize but
can also enter into the soil or drain into a waterway. Once it encounters water (surface or
subsurface), chloroethane will primarily volatilize or dissolve (followed by rapid volatilization).
The adsorbed product resulting from a spill will disappear rapidly in its gaseous state. The
resulting gaseous plume in the soil will be significant while any dissolved plume will be relatively
small in size.
Chloroethane should be handled with care as it is flammable.
Chloroethane is a compound that is in the environment as a result of anthropogenic
activity. Chloroethane is produced industrially, but its production has decreased drastically as
leaded gasoline has been replaced by unleaded gasoline. In the past, the single largest use of
chloroethane was in the production of tetraethyl lead. It is also used in the production of ethyl
cellulose, dyes, medicinal drugs, and other commercial products such as refrigerants and solvent for
oils, resins and waxes. It is also used to numb the skin before medical procedures such as ear
piercing and skin biopsies and as a treatment in sports injuries.
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), 1998.
Toxicological Profile
for chloroethane. U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Georgia, USA. (Viewed March 2010).
Montgomery, John H. 2007. Groundwater Chemicals, Desk Reference, Fourth Edition, CRC
Press, Taylor and Francis Group, Florida, USA.
