Chlorine dioxide

Description

An orange, unstable gas with a strong chlorine odor. Chlorine dioxide was introduced in 1951 for use in bleaching wood pulp, paper, leather, textiles, waxes, fats, oils, and flour. Chlorine dioxide can be used in gas phase as well as in an aqueous solution (2% or less). It is also used as a bactericide and deodorizer.

Synonyms and Related Terms

chlorine peroxide; chlorine oxide; anthium dioxide; chlorine (IV) oxide; chloroperoxyl; chloryl radical; alcide;

Other Properties

Soluble in water.

Composition	ClO2
CAS	10049-04-4
Melting Point	-59
Density	1.6
Molecular Weight	mol. wt. = 67.5
Boiling Point	11

Hazards and Safety

Toxic chlorine gas formed when mixed with ammonia. Highly toxic and explosive. Strongly oxidizing; can react violently with organic materials. Degrades in light.

Contact and inhalation is strongly irritating to tissues.

International Chemical Safety Card

Sources Checked for Data in Record

• G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 188

• 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

• Matt Roberts, Don Etherington, Bookbinding and the Conservation of Books: a Dictionary of Descriptive Terminology, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington DC, 1982

• Book and Paper Group, Paper Conservation Catalog, AIC, 1984, 1989

• 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 2146