Chloroform
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Description
A volatile liquid with a characteristic odor. Chloroform was synthesized in 1831 by Liebig and Soubeiran. It was first used as a general anesthetic in 1847 by Sir James Simpson, a physician in Edinburgh. Chloroform is a good Solvent for fats, oils, Rubber, waxes, and resins. It has been used as a cleaning fluid, refrigerant, degreaser, Insecticide, and Fumigant.
Synonyms and Related Terms
trichloromethane; trichlormethane (sp); methane trichloride; formyl chloride
Risks
- Carcinogen.
- Toxic by inhalation, ingestion and skin absorption.
- Nonflammable.
- Chloroform can decompose when exposed to heat, moisture and UV light forming highly toxic fumes (phosgene, chlorine gas and hydrogen chloride).
- Reacts violently with bases, oxidants and some metals (e.g.,aluminium, lithium, magnesium, potassium, sodium), causing fire and explosion hazard. Attacks plastic, rubber and coatings.
- ThermoFisher: SDS
Physical and Chemical Properties
Miscible in ethanol, ether, benzene, carbon disulfide. Slightly soluble in water.
| Composition | CHCl3 |
|---|---|
| CAS | 67-66-3 |
| Melting Point | -63.5 C |
| Density | 1.485 g/ml |
| Molecular Weight | mol. wt. = 119.4 |
| Refractive Index | 1.4422 |
| Boiling Point | 61.2 C |
Comparisons
Resources and Citations
- R. J. Gettens, G.L. Stout, Painting Materials, A Short Encyclopaedia, Dover Publications, New York, 1966
- G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 186
- Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993 Comment: bp=61.2C, mp=-63.5C
- 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 2193; bp=61-62C, mp=-63.5C; ref. index= 1.4422
- The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998
- Encyclopedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com Comment: "Chloroform." Accessed 7 July 2004 .
- CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, Robert Weast (ed.), CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida, v. 61, 1980 Comment: ref. index= 1.444