DMSO (DIMETHYL SULFOXIDE)

DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) is a sulfur-containing organic compound; molecule formula: (CH3) 2SO; It exhibits as colorless, odorless, hygroscopic and flammable transparent liquid at room temperature. 
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) has both high polarity as well as high-boiling point. 
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) also has aprotic and water-miscible characteristics. 

CAS:    67-68-5
MF:    C2H6OS
MW:    78.13
EINECS:    200-664-3

Synonyms
sulfinylbis (methane);DMSO;DIMETHYL SULFOXIDE;DIMETHYL SULPHOXIDE;DIMETHYLIS SULFOXIDUM;FEMA 3875;Methyl sulfoxide, extra pure, 99.85%;Methyl sulfoxide, for analysis ACS, 99.9+%;dimethyl sulfoxide;DMSO;67-68-5;Methyl sulfoxide;Methylsulfinylmethane;Dimethyl sulphoxide;Dimethylsulfoxide;Methane,sulfinylbis-;Demasorb;Demsodrox;Demavet;Domoso;Infiltrina;Somipront;Dimexide;Dolicur;Dromisol;Durasorb;Syntexan;Deltan;Demeso;Hyadur;sulfinylbismethane;Dimethyl sulfur oxide;Doligur;Dipirartril-tropico;Gamasol 90;Sulfinylbis(methane);Dermasorb;Kemsol;Dimethylsulfoxyde;Dimethylsulphoxide;Rimso-50;Topsym;Dimethylsulfoxid;Dimetil sulfoxido;SQ 9453;NSC-763;Rimso 50;Sulfinylbis-methane;Dimethyli sulfoxidum;Dimexidum;Caswell No. 381;(methylsulfinyl)methane;Dimetilsolfossido;(CH3)2SO;DMS-90;Sulfoxide, dimethyl;methanesulfinylmethane;A 10846;CCRIS 943;M 176;DMS 70;DMS 90;DMS-70;DTXSID2021735;NSC 763;Methyl sulphoxide;dimethyl-sulfoxide;S(O)Me2;MFCD00002089;EPA Pesticide Chemical Code 000177;SQ-9453;NSC763;YOW8V9698H;CHEBI:28262;AI3-26477;(methanesulfinyl)methane;(DMSO);Methane, 1,1'-sulfinylbis-;DTXCID401735;Dimethyl sulfoxide, HPLC Grade;Dimethylsulphinyl;Dimethyl sulfoxide, 99%;Topsym (rescinded);Rimso-5;Dimethyl sulfoxide, cryoprotectant vitrification agent;Domoso (Veterinary);DIMETHYL SULFOXIDE (II);DIMETHYL SULFOXIDE [II];methylsulfoxide;DIMETHYL SULFOXIDE (MART.);DIMETHYL SULFOXIDE [MART.];DIMETHYL SULFOXIDE (USP-RS);DIMETHYL SULFOXIDE [USP-RS];sulfinyldimethane;Dimetilsolfossido [DCIT];Dimethyl sulpoxide;DIMETHYL SULFOXIDE (EP MONOGRAPH);DIMETHYL SULFOXIDE [EP MONOGRAPH];DIMETHYL SULFOXIDE (USP MONOGRAPH);DIMETHYL SULFOXIDE [USP MONOGRAPH];HSDB 80;Sulphoxide, Dimethyl;Dimethylsulfoxyde [INN-French];Dimetil sulfoxido [INN-Spanish];Dimethyli sulfoxidum [INN-Latin];DMSO, sterile filtered;EINECS 200-664-3;C2H6OS;UNII-YOW8V9698H;dimethysulfoxide;dimethlysulfoxide;dimethvlsulfoxide;dimethyisulfoxide;dimethylsulphoxid;Domoso Solution;dimethy sulfoxide;dimetyl sulfoxide;Domoso Gel;dimethyisulphoxide;dimethyl sulfoxyde;dimethyl-sulfoxyde;dimethyl suiphoxide;dimethyl-sulphoxide;dirnethyl sulfoxide;Dimethyl sulfoxixde;methylsulfmylmethane;DMSO (anydrous)

DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) has low toxicity, good thermal stability, and is not miscible with paraffin. 
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) is soluble in water, ethanol, propanol, ether, benzene and chloroform and many other kinds of organic substance and is called as the "universal solvent." 
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) is a common organic solvent which has the strongest dissolving ability. 
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) can dissolve most the organic compounds including carbohydrates, polymers, peptides, as well as many inorganic salts and gases. 
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) can dissolve certain amount solute whose weight is equals to 50-60% of itself (other common solvents usually only dissolve 10-20%), so it is very important in the sample management as well as high-speed screening of drugs. 
Under certain conditions, contact between DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) and chloride can even lead to explosive reaction.
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) is widely used as solvents and reagents, particularly as the processing reagent and spinning solvent at the reaction of acrylonitrile polymerization used for polyurethane synthesis and the spinning solvent. 
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) can also be used as the synthetic solvent for polyamide, polyimide and polysulfone resin as well as the extraction solvents for aromatic hydrocarbon and butadiene extraction solvents and solvents for synthesizing chlorofluoroaniline. 

In addition, DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) can also be directly used as the raw material or carrier of some drug in the pharmaceutical industry. 
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) itself has various effects such as anti-inflammatory, analgesic, diuretic, and sedative, and thus also being known as "panacea" which is usually as the active ingredient of analgesic medication being added to the drug. 
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) also has special properties of easy penetration through the skin, resulting in personnel feeling of oyster-like flavor. 
The DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) solution of sodium cyanide can cause cyanide poisoning through skin contact while dimethyl sulfoxide itself has a relative low toxicity. 
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) is widely applied as the extraction agent in a lot of chemical and pharmaceutical companies. 
However, because of its higher boiling point, DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) causes very high operating temperatures and further causes the coking of materials, thus affecting the recycling of DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) and further cleaning of the equipments as well as resulting in increased energy consumption. 
Therefore, the recycling of DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) has become a bottleneck as its further wide application as extraction agent.

DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) can be mixed with water and can be placed for long term storage and drying through molecular sieve. 
Further apply DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) to vacuum distillation and collect the fraction of 76 °C/1600Pa (12mmHg). 
Upon distillation, keep the temperatures at below 90 °C; otherwise it will result in disproportionation reaction which generates dimethyl sulfone and DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide). 
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) may also be dried through calcium oxide, calcium hydroxide, barium oxide and barium sulfates and then distilled under reduced pressure. 
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) may also be purified through partially crystallization. 
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) can lead to explosion when mixing the dimethyl sulfoxide with certain substance such as sodium hydride, periodic acid or magnesium perchlorate, and thus should be paid attention.
First synthesized in 1866 by Alexander Zaytsev in the Russian Empire, DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) is an organosulfur compound. 
This colorless liquid is an important polar aprotic solvent that dissolves both polar and nonpolar compounds and is miscible in a wide range of organic solvents as well as water.

A 2-carbon sulfoxide in which the sulfur atom has two methyl substituents.
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) is an organosulfur compound with the formula (CH3)2S=O. This colorless liquid is the sulfoxide most widely used commercially. 
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) is an important polar aprotic solvent that dissolves both polar and nonpolar compounds and is miscible in a wide range of organic solvents as well as water. 
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) has a relatively high boiling point. DMSO is metabolised to compounds that leave a garlic-like taste in the mouth after DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) is absorbed by skin.
In terms of chemical structure, the molecule has idealized Cs symmetry. 
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) has a trigonal pyramidal molecular geometry consistent with other three-coordinate S(IV) compounds, with a nonbonded electron pair on the approximately tetrahedral sulfur atom.

Synthesis and production
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) was first synthesized in 1866 by the Russian scientist Alexander Zaytsev, who reported his findings in 1867.
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide)'s modern use as an industrial solvent began through popularization by Thor Smedslund at the Stepan Chemical Company.
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) is produced industrially from dimethyl sulfide, a by-product of the Kraft process, by oxidation with oxygen or nitrogen dioxide.

Reactions with electrophiles
The sulfur center in DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) is nucleophilic toward soft electrophiles and the oxygen is nucleophilic toward hard electrophiles. 
With methyl iodide DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) forms trimethylsulfoxonium iodide, [(CH3)3SO]+I−:

(CH3)2SO + CH3I → [(CH3)3SO]I
This salt can be deprotonated with sodium hydride to form the sulfur ylide:
[(CH3)3SO]I + NaH → (CH3)2S(CH2)O + NaI + H2

DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) Chemical Properties
Melting point: 18.4 °C
Boiling point: 189 °C(lit.)
Density: 1.100 g/mL at 20 °C
Vapor density: 2.7 (vs air)
Vapor pressure: 0.42 mm Hg ( 20 °C)
Refractive index: n20/D 1.479(lit.)
FEMA: 3875 | METHYLSULFINYLMETHANE
Fp: 192 °F
Storage temp.: Store at +5°C to +30°C.
Solubility: H2O: miscible (completely)
Pka: 35(at 25℃)
Form: liquid (temperature dependent)
Color: clear colorless
Relative polarity: 0.444
Odor: Mild garlic odor
Odor Type: alliaceous
Biological source: synthetic
Explosive limit: 1.8-63.0%(V)
Water Solubility: Soluble in water, methanol, acetone, ether, benzene, chloroform.
FreezingPoint: 18.4℃
Sensitive: Hygroscopic
λmax λ: 285 nm Amax: ≤0.20
λ: 295 nm Amax: ≤0.20
JECFA Number: 507
Merck: 14,3259
BRN: 506008
Dielectric constant: 41.9（55℃）
Stability: Stable. Incompatible with a very wide range of materials, including acid chlorides, strong acids, strong oxidizing agents, strong reducing agents, phosphorus halides, moisture, copper wool + trichloroacetic acid. Reacts violently with a number of materials - consult a full data sheet before use. Hygroscopic.
InChIKey: IAZDPXIOMUYVGZ-UHFFFAOYSA-N
LogP: -1.35
Surface tension: 42.179mN/m at 298.15K
CAS DataBase Reference: 67-68-5(CAS DataBase Reference)
NIST Chemistry Reference: DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide)(67-68-5)
EPA Substance Registry System: DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) (67-68-5)
Absorption: passes test

DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) is colorless liquid, and is hygroscopic. 
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) is almost odorless with a bitter taste. 
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) can be dissolved in water, ethanol, acetone, ether, benzene and chloroform.
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) occurs as a colorless, viscous liquid, or as colorless crystals that are miscible with water, alcohol, and ether. 
The material hasa slightly bitter taste with a sweet aftertaste, and is odorless, or has a slight odor characteristic of dimethyl sulfoxide.
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) is extremely hygroscopic, absorbing up to 70% of its own weight in water with evolution of heat.

Uses    
1. DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) can be used for the extraction of arene, also as the reaction medium used for resins and dyes, and applied to acrylic polymerization and spinning solvent.
2. DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) can be used as an organic solvent, reaction medium and the intermediates of organic synthesis. 
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) is highly versatile. 
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) has a highly selective extraction capacity, and can be used as the polymerization and condensation solvent of acrylic resin and polysulfone resin, as the polymerization and spinning solvent of polyacrylonitrile and cellulose acetate, as the extraction solvent for separating alkanes and arenes, and as the reaction medium for the arenes, butadiene extraction, acrylic fiber, plastic solvents, organic and synthetic dyes, and pharmaceuticals industries. 
In the field of medicine, DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) has anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect with a strong capability of penetration through the skin, and thus being able to dissolve certain drugs and boost their penetration into the human body to achieve the therapeutic purposes.

Taking this carrier property of dimethyl sulfoxide can make DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) be used as pesticide additives. 
Add a small amount of DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) in some pesticides can facilitate the penetration of pesticides into the plant in order to improve the efficacy. 
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) can also be used as the dye solvent, dye removing agent, and dye carrier for the synthetic fibers. 
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) can also be used as the absorbent of recycling acetylene and sulfur dioxide and also the modifiers of synthetic fiber, antifreeze agent and the capacitor dielectric, brake oil, and extractant of the rare metals.
3. DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) can be used as analytic solvents and fixing agent of gas chromatography as well as the solvent for analyzing UV spectra.

DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) is a polar aprotic solvent used in chemical reactions, in polymerase chain reactions (PCR) and as a cryoprotectant vitrification agent for the preservation of cells, tissues and organs. 
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) is used in cell freezing media to protect cells from ice crystal induced mechanical injury. 
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) is used for frozen storage of primary, sub-cultured, and recombinant heteroploid and hybridoma cell lines; embryonic stem cells (ESC), and hematopoietic stem cells. 
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) is frequently used in the combinations with BSA or fetal bovine serum (FBS).
Human and animal cell lines grown in culture are generally stored frozen. 
Freezing protects the cell line from changes due to genetic drift and minimizes risk of contamination. 
Liquid nitrogen used in conjunction with a cryoprotective agent such as DMSO is a widely used method for preserving cells. 
Without the presence of a cryoprotective agent, freezing is lethal to most mammalian cells. 

Damage is caused by mechanical injury by ice crystals, concentration of electrolytes, pH changes, and denaturation of proteins. 
These lethal effects are minimized by adding a cryoprotective agent which lowers
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) (1-10%) has been shown to accelerate strand renaturation and is believed to give the nucleic acid thermal stability against depurination. 
As a PCR cosolvent, DMSO may help improve yields, especially in long PCR.
A polar aprotic solvent used in polymerase chain reactions (PCR) and as a cryoprotectant vitrification agent for the preservation of cells, tissues and organs.
Solvent for many organic Compounds including fats, carbohydrates, dyes, resins, and polymers. In organic reactions. 
As antifreeze or hydraulic fluid when mixed with water. 
To cryopreserve and store cultured cells. 
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) is a common aprotic organic solvent used to dissolve both polar and nonpolar compounds. 
Used primarily for NMR study in its deuterated form DMSO-d6 (D479382) due to its ability to dissolve most analytes as well as its easily identifiable NMR spectrum.

DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) is a polar aprotic solvent and is less toxic than other members of this class, such as dimethylformamide, dimethylacetamide, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, and hexamethylphosphoramide (HMPA). 
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) is frequently used as a solvent for chemical reactions involving salts, most notably Finkelstein reactions and other nucleophilic substitutions. 
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) is also extensively used as an extractant in biochemistry and cell biology. 
Because DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) is only weakly acidic, it tolerates relatively strong bases and as such has been extensively used in the study of carbanions. 
A set of non-aqueous pKa values (C-H, O-H, S-H and N-H acidities) for thousands of organic compounds have been determined in DMSO solution.

Because of its high boiling point, 189 °C (372 °F), DMSO evaporates slowly at normal atmospheric pressure. 
Samples dissolved in DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) cannot as easily be recovered compared to other solvents, as it is very difficult to remove all traces of DMSO by conventional rotary evaporation. 
One technique to fully recover samples is removal of the organic solvent by evaporation followed by addition of water (to dissolve DMSO) and cryodesiccation to remove both DMSO and water. 
Reactions conducted in DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) are often diluted with water to precipitate or phase-separate products. 

The relatively high freezing point of DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide), 18.5 °C (65.3 °F), means that at, or just below, room temperature it is a solid.
In its deuterated form (DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide)-d6), it is a useful solvent for NMR spectroscopy, again due to its ability to dissolve a wide range of analytes, the simplicity of its own spectrum, and its suitability for high-temperature NMR spectroscopic studies. 
Disadvantages to the use of DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide)-d6 are its high viscosity, which broadens signals, and its hygroscopicity, which leads to an overwhelming H2O resonance in the 1H-NMR spectrum. 
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) can be mixed with CDCl3 or CD2Cl2 for lower viscosity and melting points.

Medicine
Use of DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) in medicine dates from around 1963, when an Oregon Health & Science University Medical School team, headed by Stanley Jacob, discovered it could penetrate the skin and other membranes without damaging them and could carry other compounds into a biological system. 
In medicine, DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) is predominantly used as a topical analgesic, a vehicle for topical application of pharmaceuticals, as an anti-inflammatory, and an antioxidant.
Because DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) increases the rate of absorption of some compounds through biological tissues, including skin, it is used in some transdermal drug delivery systems. 
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide)'s effect may be enhanced with the addition of EDTA. 
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) is frequently compounded with antifungal medications, enabling them to penetrate not just skin but also toenails and fingernails.

DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) has been examined for the treatment of numerous conditions and ailments, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved its use only for the symptomatic relief of patients with interstitial cystitis.
A 1978 study concluded that DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) brought significant relief to the majority of the 213 patients with inflammatory genitourinary disorders that were studied.
In interventional radiology, DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) is used as a solvent for ethylene vinyl alcohol in the Onyx liquid embolic agent, which is used in embolization, the therapeutic occlusion of blood vessels.

In cryobiology DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) has been used as a cryoprotectant and is still an important constituent of cryoprotectant vitrification mixtures used to preserve organs, tissues, and cell suspensions. 
Without DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide), up to 90% of frozen cells will become inactive. 
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) is particularly important in the freezing and long-term storage of embryonic stem cells and hematopoietic stem cells, which are often frozen in a mixture of 10% DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide), a freezing medium, and 30% fetal bovine serum. 
In the cryogenic freezing of heteroploid cell lines (MDCK, VERO, etc.) a mixture of 10% DMSO with 90% EMEM (70% EMEM + 30% fetal bovine serum + antibiotic mixture) is used. 
As part of an autologous bone marrow transplant the DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) is re-infused along with the patient's own hematopoietic stem cells.
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) is metabolized by disproportionation to dimethyl sulfide and dimethyl sulfone. 
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) is subject to renal and pulmonary excretion. 
A possible side effect of DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) is therefore elevated blood dimethyl sulfide, which may cause a blood borne halitosis symptom.

Production method    
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) is generally made by using dimethyl sulfide oxidation method. 
They have different production processes due to the different oxidants and oxidation types. 
1. Methanol carbon disulfide method; take carbon disulfide and methanol as raw materials and use γ-Al2O3 as the catalyst; first synthesize the dimethyl sulfide, then have oxidation reaction with nitrogen dioxide (or nitrate) to obtain dimethyl sulfoxide. 

2. The hydrogen peroxide method: take acetone as the buffer medium to have dimethyl sulfide be reacted with hydrogen peroxide. 
This method of DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) synthesis has a relative high cost and thus is suitable for large-scale production. 

3. The method of nitrogen dioxide: have methanol and hydrogen sulfide dimethyl sulfide reacted in the catalysis of γ-alumina to obtain dimethyl sulfide; have sulfate reacted with sodium nitrite to generate nitrogen dioxide; DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide)e has gas-liquid phase reaction with nitrogen dioxide at 60-80 °C to produce crude dimethyl sulfoxide. 
Sometimes people also use oxygen for direct oxidation which also generates the crude dimethyl sulfoxide. 
Then after vacuum distillation, refine to get the finished product of DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide). 
This method is a relative advanced production method. 

4. DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) method: apply dimethyl sulfate to react with sodium sulfide to obtain dimethyl sulfide; sulfate has reaction with sodium nitrite to generate nitrogen dioxide; dimethyl sulfide is oxidized with nitrogen dioxide to generate the crude dimethyl sulfoxide, and then undergo neutralization and distillation to obtain refined dimethyl sulfoxide product. 
In addition, the anodic oxidation method can also produce dimethyl sulfoxide via dimethyl sulfide.

Production Methods    
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) is prepared by air oxidation of dimethyl sulfide in the presence of nitrogen oxides. 
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) can also be obtained as a by product of wood pulp manufacture for the paper and allied industries.

Manufacturing Process    
A current of oxygen at the rate of 370 ml/min was bubbled through a 30-cm layer of dimethyl sulfide maintained at 26.5°C, thereby producing a gaseous mixture containing the stoichiometric amount of oxygen required for the oxidation of the sulfide to sulfoxide. 
Nitric oxide at the rate of 30 ml/min was added to the gaseous mixture as it passed into the first of a series of four reaction chambers, each consisting of a glass tube 4.3 cm in diameter and 100 cm in length. 
The reaction started immediately, the temperature of the reaction mixture reached a maximum of about 75°C in the first two tubes where most of the reaction occurred, and the reaction slowed down in the last two tubes. 

The crude, yellow product, which dropped from the tubes, contained about 10% dimethyl sulfide, about 2% dissolved nitrogen dioxide, about 2% methane sulfonic acid, and some water. The crude product was refluxed at 100°C for 30 minutes and the escaping gas was passed into the first reaction chamber. 
The dimethyl sulfide was removed by then heating the product to 150°C, the methane sulfonic acid was neutralized by adding slaked lime, and the DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) was distilled in vacuum. 
The yield of pure dimethyl sulfoxide (BP 63°C at 6 mm Hg) was 85% of the theoretical yield from the evaporated DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide).

Health Hazard    
The acute toxicity of DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) by all routes of exposure is very low. 
Inhalation of DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) vapor can cause irritation of the respiratory tract, and at higher concentrations may cause vomiting, chills, headache, and dizziness. 
The material is only slightly toxic by ingestion and may cause vomiting, abdominal pain, and lethargy. 
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) is relatively nontoxic by skin absorption, but can cause itching, scaling, and a transient burning sensation. 
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) can increase the tendency for other chemicals to penetrate the skin and so increase their toxic effects. 
Contact of DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) liquid with the eyes may cause irritation with redness, pain, and blurred vision. 
Chronic exposure to dimethyl sulfoxide can cause damage to the cornea of the eye. 
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) has not been found to be carcinogenic or to show reproductive or developmental toxicity in humans.

Pharmaceutical Applications    
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) is a highly polar substance that is aprotic, therefore lacking acidic and basic properties. 
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) has exceptional solvent properties for both organic and inorganic components, which are derived from its capacity to associate with both ionic species and neutral molecules that are either polar or polarizable. 
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) enhances the topical penetration of drug sowing to its ability to displace bound water from the stratumcorneum;this is accompanied by the extraction of lipids and configurational changes of proteins.
the solvent is diluted. 
Increases in drug penetration have been reported with DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) concentrations as low as 15%,but significant increases in permeability generally require concentrations higher than 60–80%. 

Furthermore, while low molecular weight substances can penetrate quickly into the deep layers of the skin, the appreciable transport of molecules with a molecular weight of more than 3000 is difficult.
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) is now incorporated into a number of regulated products for healthcare and drug delivery applications, including stabilizing product formulations, sustained-release applications, and for the delivery of medical polymers.
The use of DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) to improve transdermal delivery has been reported for diclofenac, ciclosporin, timolol, and a wide range of other drugs. 
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) has also been used in the formulation of an injection containing allopurinol. 
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) has also been investigated for use in an experimental parenteral preparation for the treatment of liver tumors.
In paint formulations of idoxuridine, DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) acts both as a solvent to increase drug solubility and a means of enabling penetration of the antiviral agent to the deeper levels of the epidermis.
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) has also been investigated as a potential therapeutic agent in conditions such as scleroderma, interstitial cystitis, rheumatoid arthritis, and acute musculoskeletal injuries, and as an analgesic.
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) has also been recommended for the treatment of anthracycline extravasation and has been investigated as a potential cryoprotectant.

Industrial uses    
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide), a product of an oxidation reaction on dimethyl sulfide, contains a very polar sulfoxide functional group. 
This highly polar functional group enables DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) to form complexes with many metal ions, to act as a reaction medium for synthetic reactions, and to dissolve a large number of organic resins and polymers.
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) is more viscous than many organic solvents and has a rather high surface tension value of 42.3 dynes/cm. 
The most outstanding property of DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) is its very high polarity character.
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) is used as a reaction solvent in the polymerization of acrylonitrile with a vinyl monomer (e.g., styrene). 
Reaction of diisocyanates and polyols or polyamines dissolved in DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) yield solutions of the polyurethanes. 
Mixtures of DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) and water are used as a spinning solvent for polymer fibers. 
Polyaryl ether polymers are formed from DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) solutions containing the reactants bis(4,4-chlorophenyl sulfone) and the disodium salt of dihydroxyphenol.

DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) is a favored solvent for displacement reactions in synthetic chemistry. 
The rates of reaction in DMSO are many times faster than in an alcohol or aqueous medium. 
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) is the solvent of choice in reactions where proton (hydrogen atom) removal is the rate determining step. 
Reactions of this type include olefin isomerizations and reactions where an elimination process produces an olefin. 
Another application that uses DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) is its use as an extraction solvent to separate olefins from saturated paraffins. 
Several binary and ternary solvent systems containing DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) and an amine (e.g., methylamine), sulfur trioxide, carbon disulfide/amine, or sulfur trioxide/ammonia are used to dissolve cellulose, and act as spinning baths for the production of cellulose fibers. 
Organic fungicides, insecticides, and herbicides are readily soluble in DMSO. 
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) is used to remove polymer residues from polymerization reactors.

Biochem/physiol Actions    
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) is a low molecular weight, less hydrophilic and a freely permeable cryoprotectant. 
DMSO (Dimethyl Sulfoxide) is a polar aprotic solvent used in polymerase chain reactions (PCR) and as a cryoprotectant and vitrification agent for the preservation of cells, tissues and organs.