LINDANE

Chemical Properties

BHC is a white-to-brownish crystalline solid with a musty, phosgene-like odor.

Physical properties

Solid crystals or fine platelets with a faint musty-like odor

Uses

Insecticide.

Uses

δ-1,2,3,4,5,6-Hexachlorocyclohexane is an organochloride annd is one of the isomers of hexachlorocyclohexane. aδ-1,2,3,4,5,6-Hexachlorocyclohexane is also an byproduct of insecticide Lindane (L465990) .

Definition

ChEBI: Beta-hexachlorocyclohexane is the beta-isomer of hexachlorocyclohexane. It has a role as a persistent organic pollutant. It is an organochlorine pesticide and a hexachlorocyclohexane.

General Description

Slightly musty odor.

Reactivity Profile

LINDANE may be incompatible with strong oxidizing and reducing agents. Incompatible with some amines, nitrides, azo/diazo compounds, with alkali metals, and with epoxides.

Health Hazard

ACUTE/CHRONIC HAZARDS: Highly toxic. May cause irritation on contact. Hazardous decomposition products.

Potential Exposure

The major commercial usage of BHC is based upon its insecticidal properties. α-BCH is used as an Agricultural chemical, pesticide, pharmaceutical, and veterinary drug. The 7-isomer has the highest acute toxic ity, but the other isomers are not without activity. It is gen erally advantageous to purify the 7-isomer from the less active isomers. The γ-isomer acts on the nervous system of insects, principally at the level of the nerve ganglia. As a result, lindane has been used against insects in a wide range of applications including treatment of animals, buildings, humans for ectoparasites, clothes; water for mosquitoes; living plants; seeds and soils. Some applications have been abandoned due to excessive residues, e.g., stored food stuffs. By voluntary action, the principal domestic producer of technical grade BHC requested cancellation of its BHC registrations on September 1, 1976. As of July 21, 1978, all registrants of pesticide products containing BHC voluntar ily canceled their registrations or switched their former BHC products to lindane formulations.

Environmental Fate

Biological. Dehydrochlorination of δ-BHC by a Pseudomonas sp. under aerobic con ditions was reported by Sahu et al. (1992). They also reported that when deionized water containing δ-BHC was inoculated with Pseudomonas sp., the concentration of δ-BHC decreased to undetectable levels after 8 days with concomitant formation of chloride ions and δ-pentachlorocyclohexane. In four successive 7-day incubation periods, δ-BHC (5 and 10 mg/L) was recalcitrant to degradation in a settled domestic wastewater inoculum (Tabak et al., 1981).
Chemical/Physical. δ-BHC dehydrochlorinates in the presence of alkalies. The hydrol ysis half-lives at pH values of 7 and 9 are 191 days and 11 hours, respectively (Worthing and Hance, 1991).

Shipping

UN2761 Organochlorine pesticides, solid, toxic, Hazard Class: 6.1; Labels: 6.1-Poisonous materials.

Incompatibilities

Incompatible with oxidizers (chlorates, nitrates, peroxides, permanganates, perchlorates, chlorine, bromine, fluorine, etc.); contact may cause fires or explo sions. Keep away from alkaline materials, strong bases, strong acids, oxoacids, epoxides. Decomposes on contact with powdered iron, aluminum, zinc, and on contact with strong bases producing trichlorobenzene.

Waste Disposal

A process has been developed for the destructive pyrolysis of benzene hexachloride @ 400 500℃ with a catalyst mixture which contains 5 10% of either cupric chloride, ferric chloride; zinc chloride; or aluminum chloride on activated carbon.