Uses and safety of Cyclohexane

Cyclohexane is a colourless, mobile liquid with a mild, sweet odour. It is slightly soluble in water and soluble in alcohol, acetone, benzene, ethanol, ethyl ether, olive oil, and carbon tetrachloride. Cyclohexane also has some anti-nociceptive properties. In other words, it has anti-pain ('noci-') perception ('-ceptive') properties. In short, it has some ability to relieve pain. 

Uses

Cyclohexane is used as a solvent to dissolve cellulose ethers, lacquers, resins, fats, waxes, oils, bitumen and crude rubber. It is also used in perfume manufacturing, during surface coating operations (lacquers), in synthesis of adipic acid for production of nylon 66 and engineering plastics, during synthesis of caprolactam in nylon 6, paint and varnish remover, in the extraction of essential oils, in analytical chemistry for molecular weight determinations, in the manufacturing of adipic acid, benzene, cyclohexyl chloride, nitrocyclohexane, cyclohexanol and cyclohexanone, in the manufacturing of solid fuel for camp stoves, in fungicidal formulations (possesses slight fungicidal action) in the industrial recrystallising of steroids, organic synthesis, recrystallising medium glass substitutes, solid fuels, in analytical chemistry and in manufacturing of adhesives.

Safety

Cyclohexane is very toxic to aquatic organisms. Based on its high vapour pressure and Henry’s law constant, Cyclohexane is expected to volatilize from surface waters. It is considered readily biodegradable. The product is not considered to be either persistent and bioaccumulative, nor very persistent and very bioaccumulative.

Cyclohexane is mainly used either in closed process with no likelihood of exposure or in closed continuous process with occasional situations where controlled exposure can occur. Workers may be exposed to Cyclohexane during, for example, product transfer operations, product sampling, or maintenance/repair activities. 

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