General Description
A colorless liquid. Flash point 35°F. Less dense than water. May be toxic by ingestion, inhalation and skin absorption. Severely irritating to skin and eyes. Used to make plastics.
Reactivity Profile
METHACRYLALDEHYDE(78-85-3) is an aldehyde. Aldehydes are frequently involved in self-condensation or polymerization reactions. These reactions are exothermic; they are often catalyzed by acid. Aldehydes are readily oxidized to give carboxylic acids. Flammable and/or toxic gases are generated by the combination of aldehydes with azo, diazo compounds, dithiocarbamates, nitrides, and strong reducing agents. Aldehydes can react with air to give first peroxo acids, and ultimately carboxylic acids. These autoxidation reactions are activated by light, catalyzed by salts of transition metals, and are autocatalytic (catalyzed by the products of the reaction). The addition of stabilizers (antioxidants) to shipments of aldehydes retards autoxidation.
Air & Water Reactions
Highly flammable. Soluble in water.
Hazard
Flammable, dangerous fire risk. Strong irritant.
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.
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. May polymerize explosively when heated or involved in a fire. Runoff to sewer may create fire or explosion hazard. Containers may explode when heated. Many liquids are lighter than water.
Chemical Properties
colourless to light yellow liquid
Uses
An unsaturated aldehyde used in the manufacture of polymers and synthetic resin. Cancer studies revealed consumption and release of this volatile organic compound in human small cell lung cancer line, a potential cancer biomarker.
Uses
Methacrolein was used to study the effect of parts per billion levels of limonene oxidation products and the terpene oxidation product, methacrolein on human eye blink frequency. It was also used in determination of rate constants and the products of the reactions between atomic chlorine and acrolein, methacrolein and methyl vinyl ketone.
Definition
ChEBI: Methacrolein is an enal.
Flammability and Explosibility
Highlyflammable
Purification Methods
Fractionally distil it under nitrogen through a short Vigreux column (p 11). Store it in sealed ampoules. (Slight polymerisation may occur.) [Beilstein 1 IV 3455.]
