Caprolactam

Description

A white, hygroscopic flakes used to make Nylon 6. Caprolactam is also used as a plasticizer in paint and a crosslinking agent for polyurethane.

Synonyms and Related Terms

aminocaproic lactam; 2-oxohexamethyleneimine; hexahydro-2H-azepin-2-one

Chemical structure

Other Properties

Soluble in water, methanol, ethanol, ether, tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol, dimethylformamide, cyclohexene, petroleum fractions, chlorinated hydrocarbons.

Composition	NH(CH2)5CO
CAS	105-60-2
Melting Point	70
Density	1.02
Molecular Weight	mol. wt. = 113.2
Refractive Index	1.4965
Boiling Point	267

Hazards and Safety

Toxic by inhalation. Skin contact causes irritation.

Combustible. Flash point = 125C

Produces toxic fumes including nitrogen oxide and ammonia when burnt.

International Chemical Safety Card

Authority

• G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 554

• Theodore J. Reinhart, 'Glossary of Terms', Engineered Plastics, ASM International, 1988

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

• The Merck Index, Martha Windholz (ed.), Merck Research Labs, Rahway NJ, 10th edition, 1983 Comment: entry 1805

• Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, at http://www.wikipedia.com Comment: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caprolactam (Accessed Feb. 25, 2006)

• Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia, Douglas M. Considine (ed.), Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1976

• Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997