74-87-3

A colorless gas with a faint sweet odor. Shipped as a liquid under its vapor pressure. A leak may either be liquid or vapor. Contact with the liquid may cause frostbite by evaporative cooling. Easily ignited. Vapors heavier than air. Can asphyxiate by the displacement of air. Under prolonged exposure to fire or intense heat the containers may rupture violently and rocket. Used to make other chemicals and as a herbicide.

METHYL CHLORIDE(74-87-3) can react vigorously with oxidizing agents. May react explosively with sodium, potassium, sodium-potassium alloy, magnesium, zinc. Reacts with aluminum powder in the presence of catalytic amounts of aluminum chloride to form pyrophoric trimethylaluminum. When heated to decomposition, METHYL CHLORIDE(74-87-3) emits highly toxic fumes of chlorine [Bretherick, 5th ed., 1995, p. 176].

Highly flammable.

Flammable, dangerous fire risk, explosive limits in air 10.7–17%. Narcotic. Psychic effects. Central nervous system impairment; liver, kidney and testicular damage, and teratogenic effects. Questionable carcinogen.

Inhalation causes nausea, vomiting, weakness, headache, emotional disturbances; high concentrations cause mental confusion, eye disturbances, muscular tremors, cyanosis, convulsions. Contact of liquid with skin may cause frostbite.

Methyl chloride is used as a methylating and chlorinating agent in organic chemistry; Used in production of silicones and tetramethyl lead. In petroleum refineries it is used as an extractant for greases, oils, and resins. Methyl chloride is also used as a solvent in the synthetic rubber industry; as a refrigerant; and as a propellant in polystyrene foam production. In the past it has been used as a local anesthetic (freezing). It is an intermediate in drug manufacture.

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. If frostbite has occurred, seek medical attention immediately; do NOT rub the affected areas or flush them with water. In order to prevent further tissue damage, do NOT attempt to remove frozen clothing from frostbitten areas. If frostbite has NOT occurred, immediately and thoroughly wash contaminated skin with soap and water. 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

UN1063 Methyl chloride, or Refrigerant gas R 40, Hazard Class: 2.1; Labels: 2.1-Flammable gas. Cylinders must be transported in a secure upright position, in a well-ventilated truck. Protect cylinder and labels from physical damage. The owner of the compressed gas cylinder is the only entity allowed by federal law (49CFR) to transport and refill them. It is a violation of transportation regulations to refill compressed gas cylinders without the express written permission of the owner

Violent reaction with chemically active metals, such as potassium, powdered aluminum; zinc, and magnesium. Reaction with aluminum trichloride, ethylene. Reacts with water (hydrolyzes) to form hydrochloric acid. Attacks many metals in the presence of moisture

Methyl chloride is a colorless, flammable gas with a faintly sweet, nonirritating odor at room temperature. It is shipped as a transparent liquid under its vapor pressure of about 59 psig at 70°F (407 kPa at 21.1℃）.
Methyl chloride burns feebly in air, but forms mixtures with air that can be explosive within its flammability range.
Dry methyl chloride is very stable at normal temperatures and in contact with air. In the presence of moisture, it hydrolyzes slowly, which results in the formation of corrosive hydrochloric acid. At temperatures above 700°F (371℃）, methyl chloride may decompose into toxic end-products (hydrochloric acid, phosgene, chlorine, and carbon monoxide). It is slightly soluble in water and very soluble in alcohol, mineral oils, chloroform, and most organic liquids.

Methyl chloride is a colorless gas with a faint, sweet odor which is not noticeable at dangerous concentrations. The odor threshold is 10 ppm. Shipped as a liquefied compressed gas.

Methyl chloride,CH3CI, is a flammable, narcotic,colorless compressed gas or liquid with a faintly sweet odor.Slightly soluble in water and soluble in alcohol this gas boils at -23.7℃ and freezes at -97.6℃ and is used as a refrigerant, catalyst carrier, and methylating agent. Also known as chloromethane.

Return refillable compressed gas cylinders to supplier. Consult with environmental regulatory agencies for guidance on acceptable disposal practices. Generators of waste containing this contaminant (≥100 kg/mo) must conform to EPA regulations governing storage, transportation, treatment, and waste disposal. Controlled incineration with adequate scrubbing and ash disposal facilities

Colorless, liquefied compressed gas, with a sweet, ethereal odor. Volatile flammable gas. An experimentally determined odor threshold concentration of >100 ppm_v was reported by Leonardos et al. (1969).

ChEBI: A one-carbon compound that is methane in which one of the hydrogens is replaced by a chloro group.

Methyl chloride has been used in rubber adhesives and other rubber solutions; in the pharmaceutical industry; as a paint and varnish remover; in solvent degreasing; in aerosol 2 JON B. REID AND CUSTODIO V. MUIANGA formulations; in food and drug processing; in the plastics industry; in hair sprays, insecticides, and spray paints; as a cosolvent or vapor pressure depressant; as a blowing agent for flexible polyurethane foams; as a cleaning solvent for printed circuit boards; as a stripper solvent for photoresists; as a solvent for cellulose acetate fiber; in plastic film; in protective coatings; in chemical processing; as a carrier solvent for herbicides and insecticides; to extract heatsensitive, naturally occurring substances such as cocoa, edible fats, spices, and beer hops; for decaffeinating coffee; as a refrigerant; in oil dewaxing; as a dye and perfume intermediate; in the textile industry; as a postharvest fumigant for strawberries; as a grain fumigant; for degreening citrus fruits; as an industrial solvent; in low-temperature extraction; as a solvent for oil, fats, bitumen, esters, resins, and rubber; in coating photographic films; as a food additive; in synthetic fibers and leather coatings; as a spotting agent; and in organic synthesis.

Methyl chloride is also commercially produced by reaction of HCl on methanol in the presence of zinc chloride. Methyl chloride is mainly used in the production of silicone resins and rubbers. Silicon is reacted with an excess of methyl chloride at 300 °C in the presence of a copper catalyst. The product includes mono-, di-, and trichloromethyl silanes. Hydrolysis of the chloro groups converts them into the corresponding hydroxymethylsilanes.

Flammable gas, burns with a smoky flame; autoignition temperature 632°C (1170°F). Methyl chloride forms explosive mixtures with air within the range 7.6–19.0% by volume in air. It reacts explosively with alkali metals, potassium, sodium, or lithium; sodium–potassium alloy; and with magnesium, aluminum, or zinc in powder form.

Dry methyl chloride may be contained in such common metals as steel, iron, copper, and bronze, but it has a corrosive action on zinc, aluminum, die castings, and possibly magnesium alloys. Methyl chloride must not be used with aluminum, since in the presence of moisture it forms spontaneously flammable methyl aluminum compounds upon contact with that metal. No reaction occurs, however, with the drying agent, activated alumina.
Gaskets made of natural rubber and many neoprene compositions should be avoided because methyl chloride dissolves many organic materials. Pressed fiber gaskets, including those made of asbestos may be used with methyl chloride. Polyvinyl alcohol is unaffected by methyl chloride, and its use is also recommended. Medium- soft metal gaskets may be used for applications where alternating stresses such as those resulting from large temperature changes do not lead to "ironing out" and consequent leakage.

Methyl chloride is toxic, and areas where it is handled must be adequately ventilated. It is particularly dangerous in that it has no pronounced odor to serve as a warning.
It acts as an anesthetic about one-fourth as potent as chloroform, and also acts as a narcotic. Inhalation must be avoided. Mild cases of methyl chloride poisoning usually suffer from ataxia, lightheadedness, confusion, tremors, nausea and vomiting, and frequently from anorexia after a latent period of one-half to several hours. Hiccough and constricting pain in the neck may also be experienced. Visual disturbances such as double vision are frequently reported.
Severe nonfatal poisonings are also characterized by a latent period of several hours between exposure and the onset of the first signs or symptoms. This varies with individual susceptibility and the intensity of exposure. Exposure to high concentrations of several hundred ppm or more leads successively to dizziness, headache, vertigo, loss of coordination, nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, tremors, extreme nervousness, mental confusion, convulsion, unconsciousness, coma, and eventually death. Rapid pulse, lowered blood pressure, elevated body temperature, and rapid respiration are among additional signs of exposure that may be present. Some victims may show signs of liver injury associated with jaundice and porphyrinuria, and renal disturbances characterized by albuminuria and oliguria, which may pass into anuria. Complete recovery from severe methyl chloride poisoning may take weeks or months.
Fatal methyl chloride poisoning can have symptoms similar to those of severe nonfatal poisoning. Apparent recovery from what seems a mild exposure through inhalation may be followed by serious, prolonged or even fatal aftereffects within a few days or weeks as a result of cerebral and pulmonary edema and circulatory failure. Repeated exposures are dangerous because methyl chloride is eliminated slowly from the body, where it is converted into hydrochloric acid and methyl alcohol (wood alcohol). ACGIH recommends a Threshold Limit Value-Time-Weighted Average (TLV-TWA) of 50 ppm (103 mg/m3 ) for methyl chloride.
The TLV-TWA is the time-weighted average concentration for a normal 8-hour workday and a 40-hour workweek, to which nearly all workers may be repeatedly exposed, day after day, without adverse effect. ACGIH also recommends a Threshold Limit Value-Short Term Exposure Limit (TLV-STEL) of 100 ppm (207 mg/m3 ) for methyl chloride. The TLV-STEL is the 15-minute TWA exposure that should not be exceeded at any time during a workday even if the 8-hour TWA is within the TLV-TWA. Exposures above the TLV-TWA up to the STEL should not be longer than 15 minutes and should not occur more than 4 times per day. There should be at least 60 minutes between successive exposures in this range .
OSHA lists an 8-hour Time-Weighted Average- Permissible Exposure Limit (TWA-PEL) of 100 ppm for methyl chloride. TWA-PEL is the exposure limit that shall not be exceeded by the 8-hour TWA in any 8-hour work shift of a 40-hour workweek. In addition, OSHA lists an acceptable ceiling concentration of 200 ppm for methyl chloride. The acceptable ceiling concentration is the exposure limit that shall not be exceeded at any time during an 8-hour shift. Methyl chloride has an exception in that it has an acceptable maximum peak above the acceptable ceiling concentration of 300 ppm for an 8-hour shift as long as the maximum duration is only once for 5 minutes in any hour.
Contact of methyl chloride liquid (or vapor in a concentrated stream) with the skin or the eyes must also be avoided, for such contact can result in a condition resembling frostbite of the tissues.

Methyl chloride was mutagenic to bacteria and genotoxic in a number of mammalian cell systems in vitro.14 It gave positive results in the dominant lethal test in rats in vivo.
NIOSH recommends that methyl chloride be considered a potential occupational teratogen and carcinogen.
The IARC states that there is inadequate evidence for the carcinogenicity of methyl chloride to experimental animals and humans.

Drinking water standard: No MCLGs or MCLs have been proposed although methyl chloride has been listed for regulation (U.S. EPA, 1996). In addition, 100 μg/L was recommended (U.S. EPA, 2000).

Biological. Enzymatic degradation of methyl chloride yielded formaldehyde (Vogel et al., 1987).
Photolytic. Reported photooxidation products via OH radicals include formyl chloride, carbon monoxide, hydrogen chloride, and phosgene (Spence et al., 1976). In the presence of water, formyl chloride hydrolyzes to HCl and carbon monoxide, whereas phosgene hydrolyzes to hydrogen chloride and carbon monoxide (Morrison and Boyd, 1971).
Methyl chloride reacts with OH radicals in the atmosphere at a rate of 8.5 x 10^-14 cm³/sec with a lifetime of 135 d (Cox et al., 1976).
Chemical/Physical. The estimated hydrolysis half-life at 25 °C and pH 7 is 0.93 yr (Mabey and Mill, 1978).
The evaporation half-life of methyl chloride (1 mg/L) from water at 25 °C using a shallow-pitch propeller stirrer at 200 rpm at an average depth of 6.5 cm was 27.6 min (Dilling, 1977).

Miscible with chloroform, ether, glacial acetic acid (U.S. EPA, 1985), and other chlorinated hydrocarbons including carbon tetrachloride.

All personnel handling methyl chloride cylinders should be fully informed about the dangers that can arise from improper handling of methyl chloride. The cylinder and system should be grounded before use. Before introducing methyl chloride into any apparatus or equipment, it should be tested for leaks, all leaks repaired, and the apparatus thoroughly dried. Only nonsparking tools should be used with methyl chloride. Chemical safety goggles and/or a full-face shield should be used when handling liquid methyl chloride.

Bubble methyl chloride through a sintered-glass disc dipped into conc H2SO4, then wash it with water, condense it at low temperature and fractionally distil it. It has been distilled from AlCl3 at -80o. Alternatively, pass it through towers containing AlCl3, soda-lime and P2O5, then condense and fractionally distil it. Store it as a gas. [Beilstein 1 IV 28.]

Methyl chloride is available for commercial and industrial use in various grades having much the same component proportions from one producer to another. Purities generally range from a minimum of99.5 mole percent.