General Description
Clear colorless straw-colored liquid with a sweet pleasant odor.
Reactivity Profile
STYRENE OXIDE(96-09-3) is incompatible with oxidizing agents. Also incompatible with acids and bases. Reacts with 4-(4'-nitrobenzyl)pyridine. Polymerizes exothermally and reacts vigorously with compounds possessing a labile hydrogen (e.g. alcohols and amines) in the presence of catalysts such as acids, bases and certain salts .
Air & Water Reactions
Insoluble in water.
Potential Exposure
Styrene oxide is used as a reactive intermediate, especially to produce styrene glycol and its derivatives. Substantial amounts are also used in the epoxy resin industry as a diluent. It may also have applications in the preparation of agricultural and biological chemicals, cosmetics, and surface coatings and in the treatment of textiles and fibers. Styrene oxide is made in quantities in excess of a million pounds per year, and further, is a presumed metabolite of styrene which is produced in much greater quantities.
Fire Hazard
This chemical is combustible.
First aid
Skin Contact: Flood all areas of body that have contacted the substance with water. Don’t wait to remove contaminated clothing; do it under the water stream. Use soap to help assure removal. Isolate contaminated clothing when removed to prevent contact by others. Eye Contact: Remove any contact lenses at once. Immediately flush eyes well with copious quantities of water or normal saline for at least 20-30 minutes. Seek medical attention. Inhalation: Leave contaminated area immediately; breathe fresh air. Proper respiratory protection must be supplied to any rescuers. If coughing, difficult breathing or any other symptoms develop, seek medical attention at once, even if symptoms develop many hours after exposure. Ingestion: If unconscious or convulsing, do not induce vomiting or give anything by mouth. Assure that victim’s airway is open and lay him on his side with his head lower than his body and transport at once to a medical facility. If conscious and not convulsing, give a glass of water to dilute the substance. If medical advice is not readily available, do not induce vomiting, and rush the victim to the nearest medical facility.
Shipping
UN2810 Toxic liquids, organic, n.o.s., Hazard Class: 6.1; Labels: 6.1-Poisonous materials, Technical Name Required.
Incompatibilities
Vapors may form explosive mixture with air. May polymerize on heating above 200C, under the influence of strong acids, strong bases; oxidizers, metal salts; such as aluminum chloride; catalysts for vinyl polymers. 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.
Chemical Properties
colourless to light yellow liquid
Chemical Properties
Styrene oxide is a colorless to pale strawcolored liquid. Pleasant, sweet odor.
Uses
A major (toxic) metabolite of Styrene (S687790), catalyzed by epoxide hydrolase.
Uses
Styrene oxide is is an important intermediate for organic synthesis and is widely used in organic synthesis, pharmaceutical preparation, and perfume production. For example, styrene oxide is added to hydrogen to produce monophenylethanol under the action of a catalyst.
Styrene oxide has a wide range of uses, and can be used in floral fragrances for daily use, as well as in food. Styrene oxide is also an important intermediate for the synthesis of levamisole hydrochloride. L-imidazole hydrochloride is a broad-spectrum intestinal repellent that can be used by humans and animals.
Uses
Used as an intermediate in the production
of styrene glycol and its derivatives; as
a reactive dilutent in the epoxy resin industry;
as a chemical intermediate for making bphenethyl
alcohol, a fragrance material.
Definition
ChEBI: An epoxide of styrene.
Hazard
Toxic by ingestion and inhalation. Possible
carcinogen.
Health Hazard
Styrene oxide is a mild to moderate skin irri-tant. Irritation from 500 mg was moderateon rabbit skin. The toxicity of this com-pound was low on test animals. Inhalationof 500 ppm in 4 hours was lethal to rats. Anin vivo and in vitro study in mice (Helmanet al. 1986) indicates acute dermal toxicity,causing sublethal cell injury.
LD50 value, oral (mice): 1500 mg/kg
Styrene oxide, however, may present aconsiderable health hazard as a mutagen,teratogen, and carcinogen. The reproduc-tive effects from inhalation observed in ratswere fetotoxicity, developmental abnormal-ities, and effects on fertility (Sikov et al.1986). There is sufficient evidence of its car-cinogenicity in animals, producing liver, gas-trointestinal tract, and skin tumors. Gavageexposure caused cancer in the forestomach ofboth sexes of rats and mice (McConnell andSwenberg 1994). Its cancer-causing effectson humans are unknown.
No exposure limit has been set for thiscompound. Its toxic and irritant effects inhumans are quite low.
Flammability and Explosibility
Nonflammable(100%)
Carcinogenicity
Styrene-7,8-oxide is reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen based on sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity from studies in experimental animals.
Purification Methods
Fractional distillation under reduced pressure does not remove phenylacetaldehyde. If this material is present, the styrene oxide is treated with hydrogen under 3 atmospheres pressure in the presence of platinum oxide. The aldehyde, but not the oxide, is reduced to .-phenylethanol, and separation is now readily achieved by fractional distillation. [Schenck & Kaizermen J Am Chem Soc 75 1636 1953, Beilstein 17/1 V 577.]
Waste Disposal
Styrene oxide is burned in a chemical incin-erator equipped with an afterburner andscrubber.
