Chemical Properties
colourless liquid with an aromatic odour
Uses
tert-Butylbenzene is an useful intermediate for manufacturing agrochemicals and pharmaceuticals. tert-Butyl Toluene is used as a solvent for resins.
Uses
Organic synthesis, polymerization solvent,
polymer linking agent.
Hazard
Toxic by ingestion.
Safety Profile
Mildly toxic by
ingestion. Flammable liquid when exposed
to heat or flame. To fight fire, use foam,
CO2, dry chemical, water spray, fog, mist.
Incompatible with oxidizing materials.
When heated to decomposition it emits
acrid smoke and fumes
Environmental Fate
Photolytic. At 25 °C, a rate constant of 4.58 x 10
-12 cm
3/molecule?sec was reported for the gasphase
reaction of tert-butylbenzene with OH radicals (Ohta and Ohyama, 1985).
Chemical/Physical. tert-Butylbenzene will not hydrolyze because it has no hydrolyzable
functional group (Kollig, 1995).
Purification Methods
Wash it with cold conc H2SO4 until a fresh portion of acid is no longer coloured, then with 10% aqueous NaOH (care-effervescence), followed by distilled water until neutral. Dry it (CaSO4), and distil it in a glass helices-packed column, taking the middle fraction. [Beilstein 5 IV 1045.]
