Chemical Properties
Viscous, oily, light yellow to yellow-green, mobile, dense, nonflammable liquid with a faint odor
Uses
In epoxy resins to improve adhesion and resistance to chemical attack; as an insulator fluid
for electric condensers and as an additive in very high pressure lubricants. In fluorescent and highintensity
discharge ballasts manufactured prior to 1979 (U.S. EPA, 1998).
PCB-1248 and PCB-1254 were used instead of silicone oils in vacuum pumps (Monsanto,
1960).
At a concentration of 5 to 25 wt %, increased the effective kill-life of the lindane spray up to 10
times. May have been used in chlordane and BHC insecticide formulations (Monsanto, 1960).
Definition
ChEBI: 3,3',5,5'-tetrachlorobiphenyl is a tetrachlorobiphenyl that is biphenyl in which both phenyl groups are substituted by chlorines at positions 3 and 5. It is a tetrachlorobiphenyl and a dichlorobenzene.
General Description
Viscous oily liquid.
Air & Water Reactions
Insoluble in water.
Reactivity Profile
Simple aromatic halogenated organic compounds are very unreactive. Reactivity generally decreases with increased degree of substitution of halogen for hydrogen atoms.
Health Hazard
ACUTE/CHRONIC HAZARDS: Toxic irritant. Hazardous decomposition products.
Fire Hazard
Some may burn but none ignite readily. Containers may explode when heated. Some may be transported hot.
Safety Profile
Suspected human
carcinogen. Moderately toxic by skin
contact. Experimental teratogenic and
reproductive effects. When heated to
decomposition it emits toxic fumes of Cl-.
Used in heat transfer, hydraulic fluids,
lubricants, and insecticides. See also
POLYCHLORINATED BIPHENYLS.
Environmental Fate
Biological. Reported degradation products by the microorganism Alcaligenes BM-2 for a
mixture of polychlorinated biphenyls include monohydroxychlorobiphenyl, 2-hydroxy-6-
oxochlorophenylhexa-2,4-dieonic acid, chlorobenzoic acid, chlorobenzoylpropionic acid, chlorophenylacetic
acid, and 3-chlorophenyl-2-chloropropenic acid (Yagi and Sudo, 1980). When
PCB-1248 (5 and 10 mg/) was statically incubated in the dark at 25 °C with yeast extract and
settled domestic wastewater inoculum, no biodegradation was observed (Tabak et al., 1981).
Chemical/Physical. Heating PCB-1248 in oxygen at 270–300 °C for 1 wk resulted in the
formation of mono-, di-, tri-, tetra-, and pentachlorodibenzofurans (PCDFs). At temperatures
greater than 330 °C, PCDFs decompose (Morita et al., 1978).
PCB-1248 will not hydrolyze to any reasonable extent (Kollig, 1993).
When PCB-1248 was heated up to 315 °C in a closed system, no appreciable decomposition
was observed (Monsanto, 1960).
Mackay and Wolkoff (1973) estimated an evaporation half-life of 58.3 min from a surface water
body that is 25 °C and 1 m deep.
