Chemical Properties
Allyl chloride is a colorless liquid, insoluble in water but soluble in common organic solvents.
Allyl chloride is prepared by the reaction of propylene with chlorine. It is a common
alkylating agent relevant to the manufacture of pharmaceuticals and pesticides. It is also a
component in some thermo-setting resins. Allyl chloride has been produced commercially since 1945 and is used almost exclusively as a chemical intermediate, principally in the
production of epichlorohydrin or as a raw material for epichlorohydrin. It is also used as
a chemical intermediate in the preparation of glycerin, glycerol chlorohydrins, glycidyl
ethers, allylamines, and allyl ethers of trimethylpropane, sodium allyl sulfonate, a series of
allyl amines and quaternary ammonium salts, allyl ethers, and a variety of alcohols, phenols,
and polyols. It is also used in pharmaceuticals as a raw material for the production of
allyl isothiocyanate (synthetic mustard oil), allyl substituted barbiturates (sedatives), and
cyclopropane (anesthetic); in the manufacture of specialty resins for water treatment and
to produce babiturate and hypnotic agents such as aprobarbital, butalbital, methohexital
sodium, secobarbital, talbutal, and thiamyl sodium.
General Description
A clear colorless liquid with an unpleasant pungent odor. Flash point-20°F. Boiling point 113°F. Less dense than water (7.8 lb/gal) and insoluble in water. Hence floats on water. Vapor irritates skin, eyes and mucous membranes. Vapors are heavier than air. Long exposure to low concentrations or short exposure to high concentrations may have adverse health effects from inhalation or skin absorption.
Reactivity Profile
ALLYL CHLORIDE(107-05-1) presents a serious fire and explosion hazard when exposed to heat, flame or oxidizing agents. Polymerizes violently and exothermically with Lewis acids (aluminum chloride, boron trifluoride, sulfuric acid) or metals (aluminum, magnesium, zinc, or galvanized metal) [MCA SD-99, 1973]. Incompatible with acids (nitric acid, chlorosulfonic acid, oleum), with strong bases (sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide), with ethyleneimine and ethylenediamine [Lewis, 3rd ed., 1993, p. 36]. Attempts to alkylate benzene or toluene using ALLYL CHLORIDE(107-05-1) in the presence of ethylaluminum chlorides have led to explosions.
Air & Water Reactions
Highly flammable. Insoluble in water.
Hazard
Skin and eye irritant. Upper respiratory
tract irritant, liver and kidney damage. Question-
able carcinogen.
Health Hazard
Allyl chloride is toxic and flammable. Exposures to allyl chloride cause a cough, sore throat,
headache, dizziness, weakness, respiratory distress, abdominal pain, burning sensation,
vomiting, and loss of consciousness. After acute inhalation exposures to high levels of
allyl chloride, workers developed irritation of the eyes and respiratory passages, loss of
consciousness, and fatal injury. Prolonged and intense exposure produced conjunctivitis,
reddening of eyelids, and corneal burn, damage to the CNS, causing motor and sensory
neurotoxic damage, and the heart and respiratory system, causing the onset of pulmonary
edema in humans. Laboratory rabbits exposed to allyl chloride through inhalation developed
degenerative changes that included dilation of sinusoids and vacuolar degeneration
in the liver, congestion or cloudy swelling and fatty degeneration of the epithelium of the
renal convoluted tubules, and thickening of the alveolar septa in the lungs. The exposed cat
exhibited only muscle weakness and unsteady gait toward the end of the exposure period.
Health Hazard
Causes marked irritation of skin and may burn. Burns the eyes; effect may be delayed.
Potential Exposure
Allyl chloride is used as a chemical intermediate and in making allyl compounds, epichlorohydrin, and glycerol.
Fire Hazard
Special Hazards of Combustion Products: Releases irritating hydrogen chloride gas on combustion
First aid
If this chemical gets into the eyes, remove any contact lenses at once and irrigate immediately for at least 15 minutes, occasionally lifting upper and lower lids. Seek medical attention immediately. If this chemical contacts the skin, remove contaminated clothing and wash immediately with soap and water. Seek medical attention immediately. If this chemical has been inhaled, remove from exposure, begin rescue breathing (using universal precautions, including resuscitation mask) if breathing has stopped and CPR if heart action has stopped. Transfer promptly to a medical facility. When this chemical has been swallowed, get medical attention. Give large quantities of water and induce vomiting. Do not make an unconscious person vomit. Medical observation is recommended for 24 to 48 hours after breathing overexposure, as pulmonary edema may be delayed. As first aid for pulmonary edema, a doctor or authorized paramedic may consider administering a drug or other inhalation therapy.
Shipping
UN1100 Allyl chloride, Hazard Class: 3; Labels: 3-Flammable liquid, 6.1-Poisonous materials
Incompatibilities
Contact with water forms hydrochloric acid. Keep away from strong oxidizers, acids, aluminum, amines, peroxides, chlorides of iron and aluminum; magnesium, zinc.
Waste Disposal
Consult with environmental regulatory agencies for guidance on acceptable disposal practices. Generators of waste containing this contaminant (≥100 kg/mo) must conform with EPA regulations governing storage, transportation, treatment, and waste disposal. Controlled incineration at a temperature of 982 C for 2 seconds minimum.
Physical properties
Colorless to light brown to reddish-brown liquid with a pungent, unpleasant, garlic-like odor. An
experimentally determined odor threshold concentration of 470 ppbv was reported by Leonardos et
al. (1969).
History
Allyl chloride, the only chloropropene of industrial importance, was first produced in 1857 by A. CAHOURS and A. W. HOFMANN by reacting phosphorus chloride with allyl alcohol. The name allyl is derived from the latin allium, meaning garlic. Inhalation of even small amounts of allyl chloride produces, after a short time, the characteristic odor of garlic on the breath. At the end of the 1930s, IG Farbenindustrie and the Shell Development Co. developed the high-temperature chlorination of propene, permitting large-scale production of allyl chloride with good yields. A significant part of the development was done by the Shell Chemical Co. when erecting a commercial plant in 1945. Dow, Solvay, and Asahi-Kashima developed their own processes.
Uses
Allyl chloride (3-chloropropene; 1-chloro-2-propene) is a chemical intermediate used in the synthesis of allyl compounds found in varnish, resins, polymers, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals (O’Neil, 2001).
Uses
Allyl chloride is used in the synthesis of glycerol, allyl alcohol and epichlorohydrin.
Uses
Manufacture of epichlorohydrin,
epoxy resin, glycerin pesticides, and sodium
allyl sulfonate
Definition
ChEBI: Allyl chloride is an organochlorine compound.
Production Methods
Allyl chloride can be synthesized by reaction of allyl alcohol with HCl or by treatment of allyl formate with HCl in the presence of a catalyst (ZnCl2).
Flammability and Explosibility
Highlyflammable
Toxicology
Acute and Subacute Toxicity: LD50=460 mg/kg (rat, oral); LD50= 3.7 mg/kg (rabbit, percutaneous); LC50= 11 mg/L (rat, inhalation, 2 h). The inhalation of 3 ppm allyl chloride during 7 h/d on 5 days a week was tolerated by a group of rats, guinea pigs, and rabbits for 180 days without irreversible damage occurring. An analogous test using 8 ppm over a period of 35 days led to damage of the liver and kidneys. Further experiments demonstrate a neurotoxic effect of allyl chloride, in particular to the peripheral nerves of cats and rabbits.
Carcinogenicity
The IARC found that it could not
classify AC as a human carcinogen on the basis of available
data. In contrast, EPA considers AC to be a possible
human carcinogen and has ranked it in EPA’s Group
C. This classification was based on a low
incidence of forestomach tumors in female mice and positive
results in a variety of genetic toxicity tests. However, the
forestomach tumor data were not used for quantitative cancer
risk assessment. AC is a strong alkylating agent and is
structurally similar to other forestomach carcinogens, such
as propylene oxide and epichlorohydrin, which cause tumors
at the site of exposure.
Olsen reported on a cohort of 1064 men employed at a
Texas plant in epoxy resin, glycerin, andAC/epichlorohydrin
production between 1957 and 1986 and followed up through
1989. There were 66 total deaths [standardized mortality
ratio (SMR)=0.8; 95% CI 0.6–1.0] and 10 cancers
(SMR=0.5; CI 0.2–0.9).However, the authors noted that the
cohort was limited due to sample size, duration of follow-up,
small numbers of deaths both expected and found, and the
limited exposure potential.
Environmental Fate
Biological. Bridié et al. (1979) reported BOD and COD values of 0.23 and 0.86 g/g using
filtered effluent from a biological sanitary waste treatment plant. These values were determined
using a standard dilution method at 20 °C and stirred for a period of 5 d. When a sewage seed was
used in a separate screening test, a BOD value of 0.42 g/g was obtained. The ThOD for allyl
chloride is 1.67 g/g.
Photolytic. Anticipated products from the reaction of allyl chloride with ozone or OH radicals in
the atmosphere are formaldehyde, formic acid, chloroacetaldehyde, chloroacetic acid, and
chlorinated hydroxy carbonyls (Cupitt, 1980).
Chemical/Physical. Hydrolysis under alkaline conditions will yield allyl alcohol (Hawley,
1981). The estimated hydrolysis half-life in water at 25 °C and pH 7 is 2.0 yr (Mabey and Mill,
1978).
storage
Pure, dry allyl chloride (water content2 200 mg/kg) does not corrode iron and can be stored in ferrous containers for months at ambient temperatures without significant changes in quality. Lined vessels should be used if traces of iron chlorides are objectionable. Unwanted coloration can be prevented by the addition of a suitable stabilizer (e.g., propene oxide).
Purification Methods
Likely impurities include 2-chloropropene, propyl chloride, iso-propyl chloride, 3,3-dichloropropane, 1,2-dichloropropane and 1,3-dichloropropane. Purify it by washing with conc HCl, then with Na2CO3 solution, dry it with CaCl2, and distil it through an efficient column [Oae & Vanderwerf J Am Chem Soc 75 2724 1953]. [Beilstein 1 IV 738.] LACHRYMATORY, TOXIC.
