Chemical Properties
This product is an anthracene-containing fraction cut from coal tar.
Uses
Anthracene oil is mainly used to extract crude anthracene, phenanthrene, fluorene, acenaphthene, carbazole, and other products. It can also be used to produce carbon black, wood preservative oil, and insecticides. Chemical companies use continuous distillation processes to separate anthracene and carbazole from anthracene oil for the production of dyes, pharmaceuticals, and optoelectronic materials. Carbon black plants directly use anthracene oil as a raw material to produce rubber carbon black and pigment carbon black. The wood processing industry uses it to formulate preservative impregnation agents. The road and building materials industries use it to formulate modified asphalt and waterproof asphalt. The coking and new materials industries use it as fuel and carbon-based raw material.
Definition
A coal tar fraction boiling in the range 270–360C, a source of anthracene and similar aromatics. Also used as a wood preservative and pesticide, except on food crops.
General Description
Low-boiling liquid separated from coal tar by distillation. Contains benzene, toluene, xylenes, cumenes, coumarone and indene, among other substances. Colorless to yellow with a pleasant odor. Floats on water. Irritating vapor . Flash point is typically below 80° F
Air & Water Reactions
Highly flammable.
Reactivity Profile
COAL TAR OIL contains phenols, which react as weak organic acids and are incompatible with strong reducing substances such as hydrides, nitrides, alkali metals, and sulfides. Flammable gas (H2) is often generated, and the heat of the reaction may ignite the gas. Phenols also generate heat with bases. Such heating may initiate polymerization. Phenols are exothermically sulfonated very readily (for example, by concentrated sulfuric acid at room temperature) and are also nitrated very rapidly, even by dilute nitric acid. Nitrated phenols can explode when heated and form metal salts that may detonate when shocked.
Health Hazard
Vapor causes slight irritation of nose and throat, smarting of eyes. Liquid may irritate skin on prolonged contact.
