Chemical Properties
Colorless to light yellow liqui
Chemical Properties
Tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol has a faint, warm, oily, caramellic odor with a coffee and nut-like flavor at very low levels (0.03 to 1 ppm).
Occurrence
Reported found in shoyu (fermented soya hydrolysate), coffee and fresh mango.
Uses
Solvent for vinyl resins; dyes for leather; chlorinated rubber; cellulose esters; solvent softener for nylon; vegetable oils; coupling agent; organic synthesis.
Preparation
By catalytic reduction of furfural with Raney-Ni; also by destructive hydrogenation of lignin.
General Description
A clear colorless liquid with a mild odor. Flash point 167°F. Vapors are heavier than air.
Air & Water Reactions
Denser than water and soluble in water.
Reactivity Profile
Acetyl bromide reacts violently with alcohols or water [Merck 11th ed. 1989]. Mixtures of alcohols with concentrated sulfuric acid and strong hydrogen peroxide can cause explosions. Example: An explosion will occur if dimethylbenzylcarbinol is added to 90% hydrogen peroxide then acidified with concentrated sulfuric acid. Mixtures of ethyl alcohol with concentrated hydrogen peroxide form powerful explosives. Mixtures of hydrogen peroxide and 1-phenyl-2-methyl propyl alcohol tend to explode if acidified with 70% sulfuric acid [Chem. Eng. News 45(43):73. 1967; J, Org. Chem. 28:1893. 1963]. Alkyl hypochlorites are violently explosive. They are readily obtained by reacting hypochlorous acid and alcohols either in aqueous solution or mixed aqueous- carbon tetrachloride solutions. Chlorine plus alcohols would similarly yield alkyl hypochlorites. They decompose in the cold and explode on exposure to sunlight or heat. Tertiary hypochlorites are less unstable than secondary or primary hypochlorites [NFPA 491 M 1991]. Base-catalysed reactions of isocyanates with alcohols should be carried out in inert solvents. Such reactions in the absence of solvents often occur with explosive violence [Wischmeyer 1969].
Health Hazard
Inhalation or contact with material may irritate or burn skin and eyes. Fire may produce irritating, corrosive and/or toxic gases. Vapors may cause dizziness or suffocation. Runoff from fire control or dilution water may cause pollution.
Carcinogenicity
Tetrahydro-2-furanmethanol was not mutagenic to S. typhimurium strains TA100, TA1535, TA1537, or TA98 in an in vitro gene mutation assay or to E. coliWP2uvrA/pKM101 with or withoutmetabolic activation. No chromosomal aberrations or polypoidy were observed when tetrahydro-2-furanmethanol was added to cultured Chinese hamster lung cells with or without metabolic activation .
China
