Tetrachloroethylene

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]

Chemical structure

Other Properties

Miscible in ethanol, ether, chloroform, benzene. Insoluble in water.

Composition	Cl2C:CCl2
CAS	127-18-4
Melting Point	22
Density	1.6230
Molecular Weight	mol. wt.= 165.83 .
Refractive Index	1.5055
Boiling Point	121

Hazards and Safety

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).

LINK: International Chemical Safety Card

Sources Checked for Data in Record

• 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