General Description
A colorless liquid with a pungent odor. Flash point 118°F. Insoluble in water and denser than water. Hence, sinks in water. Very toxic by ingestion, inhalation and skin absorption. A lachrymator. Used to make other chemicals and as a fumigant.
Reactivity Profile
CHLOROACETONITRILE(107-14-2) reacts with water, steam, strong acids or acid fumes to produce toxic vapors of hydrogen chloride. When heated to decomposition, CHLOROACETONITRILE(107-14-2) emits highly toxic fumes of hydrogen cyanide and hydrogen chloride [Sax, 2nd ed., 1963, p. 600].
Air & Water Reactions
Flammable. Insoluble in water and denser than water. Hence, sinks in water. Reacts with water and steam to produce toxic vapors of hydrogen chloride.
Hazard
Irritant. Questionable carcinogen.
Health Hazard
TOXIC; may be fatal if inhaled, ingested or absorbed through skin. Inhalation or contact with some of these materials will irritate or burn skin and eyes. Fire will produce irritating, corrosive and/or toxic gases. Vapors may cause dizziness or suffocation. Runoff from fire control or dilution water may cause pollution.
Potential Exposure
A chlorinated haloacetonitrile used as
a fumigant and as a manufacturing chemical intermediate
for making other chemicals
Fire Hazard
HIGHLY FLAMMABLE: Will be easily ignited by heat, sparks or flames. Vapors may form explosive mixtures with air. Vapors may travel to source of ignition and flash back. Most vapors are heavier than air. They will spread along ground and collect in low or confined areas (sewers, basements, tanks). Vapor explosion and poison hazard indoors, outdoors or in sewers. Runoff to sewer may create fire or explosion hazard. Containers may explode when heated. Many liquids are lighter than water.
First aid
Eyes: First check the victim for contact lenses
and remove if present. Flush victim’s eyes with water or
normal saline solution for 20 to 30 minutes while simultaneously calling a hospital or poison control center. Do not
put any ointments, oils, or medication in the victim’s eyes
without specific instructions from a physician. Immediately
transport the victim after flushing eyes to a hospital even if
no symptoms (such as redness or irritation) develop. Skin:
Immediately flood affected skin with water while removing
and isolating all contaminated clothing. Gently wash all
affected skin areas thoroughly with soap and water. If
symptoms such as redness or irritation develop,
Immediately call a physician and be prepared to transport
the victim to a hospital for treatment. Inhalation:
Immediately leave the contaminated area; take deep breaths
of fresh air. If symptoms (such as wheezing, coughing,
shortness of breath, or burning in the mouth, throat, orchest) develop, call a physician and be prepared to transport the victim to a hospital. Provide proper respiratory
protection to rescuers entering an unknown atmosphere.
Whenever possible, SCBA should be used; if not available,
use a level of protection greater than or equal to that
advised under Protective Clothing. Ingestion: do not induce
vomiting. If the victim is conscious and not convulsing,
give 1 or 2 glasses of water to dilute the chemical and
Immediately call a hospital or poison control center. Be
prepared to transport the victim to a hospital if advised by
a physician. If the victim is convulsing or unconscious, do
not give anything by mouth, ensure that the victim’s airway
is open and lay the victim on his/her side with the head
lower than the body. Do not induce vomiting. Immediately
transport the victim to a hospital.
Shipping
UN2668 Chloroaceto nitrile Hazard class: 6.1,
Labels: 6.1-Poison Inhalation Hazard, 3-Flammable liquid
Inhalation Hazard Zone B.
Incompatibilities
Highly flammable, forms explosive mixture with air. Incompatible with oxidizers (chlorates,
nitrates, peroxides, permanganates, perchlorates, chlorine,
bromine, fluorine, etc.); contact may cause fires or explosions. Keep away from alkaline materials, strong bases,
strong acids, oxoacids, epoxides. Reacts with water and
steam, releasing toxic and corrosive vapors of hydrogen
chloride. Nitriles may polymerize in the presence of metals
and some metal compounds. They are incompatible with
acids; mixing nitriles with strong oxidizing acids can lead
to extremely violent reactions. Nitriles are generally incompatible with other oxidizing agents such as peroxides and
epoxides. The combination of bases and nitriles can produce hydrogen cyanide. Nitriles are hydrolyzed in both
aqueous acid and base to give carboxylic acids (or salts of
carboxylic acids). These reactions generate heat. Peroxides
convert nitriles to amides. Nitriles can react vigorously low aqueous solubility. They are also insoluble in aqueous
acids.
with reducing agents. Acetonitrile and propionitrile are soluble in water, but nitriles higher than propionitrile have
Waste Disposal
Use a licensed professional
waste disposal service to dispose of this material. Dissolve
or mix the material with a combustible solvent and burn in
a chemical incinerator equipped with an afterburner and
scrubber. All federal, state, and local environmental regulations must be observed.
Definition
ChEBI: Chloroacetonitrile is a nitrile.
Preparation
In a 3-L round-bottomed, threenecked flask fitted with an efficient mechanical stirrer, a reflux condenser, and a thermometer were placed phosphorus pentoxide (170 g, 1.2 mol), chloroacetamide 1423 (187 g, 2 mol), and dry technical grade trimethylbenzene (800 mL). The mixture was gently refluxed with vigorous stirring for 1 h. It was then allowed to cool to about 100 C° with continuous stirring, and the reflux condenser was replaced with a distillation head fitted with a thermometer and a water-cooled condenser. The crude product and part of the solvent were distilled at atmospheric pressure. The yield of crude product boiling at 124–128 C° was 121–131 g (80–87%). In order to obtain a pure product, the crude chloroacetonitrile was mixed with phosphorus pentoxide (10 g) and redistilled through an efficient packed fractionating column. The yield of pure chloroacetonitrile distilling at 123–124 C° was 93–106 g (62–70%).
Purification Methods
Reflux it with P2O5 for one day, then distil it through a helices-packed column. Also purified by gas chromatography. [Beilstein 2 IV 492.] LACHRYMATOR, HIGHLY TOXIC.
