Toluene

Absorption and fluorescence emission spectra

Description

Colorless liquid solvent with a benzene odor. Toluene is produced from the fractional distillation of coal tar. It is used as a solvent for paint, coatings, resins, as well as for most oils, rubber, polymers, and adhesives. Toluene is also used as a component in aviation fuel and for the manufacture of dyestuffs and explosives. Industrial grade toluene has been called toluol.

Synonyms and Related Terms

toluol; methylbenzene; phenylmethane; methyl benzene

Chemical structure

Other Properties

Soluble in ethanol, benzene, ether. Insoluble in water. Burns with a smoky flame.

Composition	C6H5CH3
CAS	108-88-3
Melting Point	-94.7
Density	0.866
Molecular Weight	mol. wt.=92.13
Refractive Index	1.4967
Boiling Point	110.7

Hazards and Safety

Flammable. Flash point = 4C.

Toxic by ingestion, inhalation and skin absorption.

LINK: International Chemical Safety Card

Comparisons

Properties of Common Solvents

Authority

• R. J. Gettens, G.L. Stout, Painting Materials, A Short Encyclopaedia, Dover Publications, New York, 1966

• Reed Kay, The Painter's Guide To Studio Methods and Materials, Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1983

• Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993

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

• 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 9667; ref. index=1.4967

• 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=1.494