Tetrachloroethylene
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Description
Colorless, chlorinated hydrocarbon with an ether-like odor. Tetrachloroethylene (TCE) was first prepared by Faraday in 1921. It is currently used as a dry-cleaning solvent and as a vapor-degreaser for metals. TCE is a suspected carcinogen.
Synonyms and Related Terms
TCE; tetrachloroethene; ethylene tetrachloride; perchloroethylene; Perclene; Vaclene [DuPont]
Physical and Chemical Properties
Miscible in ethanol, ether, chloroform, benzene. Insoluble in water.
| Composition | Cl2C:CCl2 |
|---|---|
| CAS | 127-18-4 |
| Melting Point | 22 C |
| Density | 1.6230 g/ml |
| Molecular Weight | mol. wt.= 165.83 . |
| Refractive Index | 1.5055 |
| Boiling Point | 121 C |
Risks
- Irritating to eyes and skin.
- Potential carcinogen.
- Dangerous to the environment.
- Nonflammable, but may decompose in the presence of flames or UV light to form toxic fumes (phosgene, hydrogen chloride).
- ThermoFisher: SDS
Resources and Citations
- Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993
- Hermann Kuhn, Conservation and Restoration of Works of Art and Antiquities, Butterworths, London, 1986
- Rosalie Rosso King, Textile Identification, Conservation, and Preservation, Noyes Publications, Park Ridge, NJ, 1985
- Michael McCann, Artist Beware, Watson-Guptill Publications, New York City, 1979
- Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997
- The Merck Index, Martha Windholz (ed.), Merck Research Labs, Rahway NJ, 10th edition, 1983 Comment: entry 9332; ref. index=1.5055
- The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998
- CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, Robert Weast (ed.), CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida, v. 61, 1980 Comment: ref. index=1.504