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METHYLENE CHLORIDE

CAS NO: 75-09-2
EC NO:200-838-9

Methylene chloride is used in many industries.
Methylene chloride is used in paint removing, degreasing and cleaning, and manufacturing.

Dichloromethane (DCM or methylene chloride, methylene bichloride) is an organochlorine compound with the formula CH2Cl2. This colorless, volatile liquid with a chloroform-like, sweet odour is widely used as a solvent. Although it is not miscible with water, it is polar, and miscible with many organic solvents.

Occurrence
Natural sources of dichloromethane include oceanic sources, macroalgae, wetlands, and volcanoes.However, the majority of dichloromethane in the environment is the result of industrial emissions.

Production
Methylene chloride is produced by treating either chloromethane or methane with chlorine gas at 400–500 °C. At these temperatures, both methane and chloromethane undergo a series of reactions producing progressively more chlorinated products. In this way, an estimated 400,000 tons were produced in the US, Europe, and Japan in 1993.

CH4 + Cl2 → CH3Cl + HCl
CH3Cl + Cl2 → CH2Cl2 + HCl
CH2Cl2 + Cl2 → CHCl3 + HCl
CHCl3 + Cl2 → CCl4 + HCl

The output of these processes is a mixture of chloromethane, dichloromethane, chloroform, and carbon tetrachloride as well as hydrogen chloride as a byproduct. These compounds are separated by distillation.
Methylene chloride was first prepared in 1839 by the French chemist Henri Victor Regnault (1810–1878), who isolated it from a mixture of chloromethane and chlorine that had been exposed to sunlight.

Uses
Methylene chloride's volatility and ability to dissolve a wide range of organic compounds makes it a useful solvent for many chemical processes.In the food industry, it is used to decaffeinate coffee and tea as well as to prepare extracts of hops and other flavourings.
Methylene chlorides volatility has led to its use as an aerosol spray propellant and as a blowing agent for polyurethane foams.

Hydrogen bonding
Methylene chloride is a Lewis acid that can hydrogen bond to electron donors.
Methylene chloride is classified as a hard acid and is included in the ECW model.
Methylene chloride is a solvent that has been used in many thermodynamic studies of donor-acceptor bonding. The donor hydrogen-bonding corrections of methylene chloride in these thermodynamic studies has been reported.

Specialized uses
The chemical compound's low boiling point allows the chemical to function in a heat engine that can extract mechanical energy from small temperature differences. An example of a DCM heat engine is the drinking bird. The toy works at room temperature.
Methylene chloride is also used as the fluid in jukebox displays and holiday bubble lights that have a colored bubbling tube above a lamp as a source of heat and a small amount of rock salt to provide thermal mass and a nucleation site for the phase changing solvent.

Methylene chloride chemically welds certain plastics. For example, it is used to seal the casing of electric meters. Often sold as a main component of plastic welding adhesives, it is also used extensively by model building hobbyists for joining plastic components together.
Methylene chloride is commonly referred to as "Di-clo."

Methylene chloride is used in the garment printing industry for removal of heat-sealed garment transfers.

Methylene chloride is used in the material testing field of civil engineering; specifically it is used during the testing of bituminous materials as a solvent to separate the binder from the aggregate of an asphalt or macadam to allow the testing of the materials.

Properties:
Chemical formula:   CH2Cl2
Molar mass:   84.93 g·mol−1
Appearance:   Colorless liquid
Odor:   Faint, chloroform-like[4]
Density:   1.3266 g/cm3 (20 °C)[5]
Melting point:   −96.7 °C (−142.1 °F; 176.5 K)

Methylene chloride, also called dichloromethane, is a volatile, colorless liquid with a chloroform-like odor.

Methylene chloride appears as a colorless liquid with a sweet, penetrating, ether-like odor. Noncombustible by if exposed to high temperatures may emit toxic chloride fumes. Vapors are narcotic in high concentrations. Used as a solvent and paint remover.

Methylene chloride is a member of the class of chloromethanes that is methane in which two of the hydrogens have been replaced by chlorine. A dense, non-flammible colourless liquid at room temperature (b.p. 40℃, d = 1.33) which is immiscible with water, it is widely used as a solvent, a paint stripper, and for the removal of caffeine from coffee and tea.
Methylene chloride has a role as a polar aprotic solvent, a carcinogenic agent and a refrigerant.
Methylene chloride is a member of chloromethanes and a volatile organic compound.

Methylene Chloride is a clear, colorless, nonflammable, volatile liquid chlorinated hydrocarbon with a sweet, pleasant smell and emits highly toxic fumes of phosgene when heated to decomposition.
Methylene chloride is primarily used as a solvent in paint removers, but is also used in aerosol formulations, as a solvent in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, as a degreasing agent, in electronics manufacturing and as an ethane foam blowing agent. Inhalation exposure to Methylene chloride irritates the nose and throat and affects the central nervous system. Methylene chloride is a possible mutagen and is reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.

Industry Uses:
-Adhesives and sealant chemicals
-Functional fluids (closed systems)
-Intermediates
-Laboratory chemicals
-Paint additives and coating additives not described by other categories
-Processing aids, not otherwise listed
-Processing aids, specific to petroleum production
-Solvents (for cleaning and degreasing)
-Solvents (which become part of product formulation or mixture)

Consumer Uses:
-Adhesives and sealants
-Automotive care products
-Cleaning and furnishing care products
-Lubricants and greases
-Metal products not covered elsewhere
-Paints and coatings
-Pharmaceutical
-Plastic and rubber products not covered elsewhere
-Toys, playground, and sporting equipment

Industry Processing Sectors:
-Adhesive manufacturing
-All other basic inorganic chemical manufacturing
-All other basic organic chemical manufacturing
-All other chemical product and preparation manufacturing
-Electrical equipment, appliance, and component manufacturing
-Miscellaneous manufacturing
-Oil and gas drilling, extraction, and support activities
-Paint and coating manufacturing
-Pesticide, fertilizer, and other agricultural chemical manufacturing
-Pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing
-Plastic material and resin manufacturing
-Plastics product manufacturing
-Services
-Soap, cleaning compound, and toilet preparation manufacturing
-Wholesale and retail trade

Methylene Chloride is a clear colorless, volatile, sweet-smelling lipophilic liquid.
Methylene Chloride is commonly used as a solvent in wood varnishes, paints, strippers, cements, vapor degreasing of metal parts.
Methylene chloride is also widely used as a process solvent in the manufacture of a variety of products including food, textiles, insecticides, herbicides, steroids, antibiotics and vitamins. Not registered for current pesticide use in the U.S., but approved pesticide uses may change periodically and so federal, state and local authorities must be consulted for currently approved uses.

Methylene chloride, which is also called Dichloromethane, is a volatile chemical that is produced and imported into the United States, with use estimated at over 260 million pounds per year.

Methylene chloride is a solvent used in a variety of industries and applications, such as adhesives, paint and coating products, pharmaceuticals, metal cleaning, chemical processing, and aerosols.

Methylene chloride is predominantly used as a solvent in paint strippers and removers; as a process solvent in the manufacture of drugs, pharmaceuticals, and film coatings; as a metal cleaning and finishing solvent in electronics manufacturing; and as an agent in urethane foam blowing.
Methylene chloride is also used as a propellant in aerosols for products such as paints, automotive products, and insect sprays.
Methylene chloride is used as an extraction solvent for spice oleoresins, hops, and for the removal of caffeine from coffee.However, due to concern over residual solvent, most decaffeinators no longer use methylene chloride.
Methylene chloride is also approved for use as a postharvest fumigant for grains and strawberries and as a degreening agent for citrus fruit.

Methylene chloride, also known as dichloromethane and methylene dichloride, is a clear, colorless liquid with a slightly sweet scent that is primarily used as an industrial solvent and also as a potent paint stripper and paint thinner.

Methylene chloride is a solvent found in paint and varnish strippers that are used to remove paint or varnish coatings from a variety of surfaces.
Methylene chloride is also used in bathtub refinishing.

Methylene chloride is most prominently used industrially — in the production of paint strippers, pharmaceuticals and process solvents.
Methylene chloride also is used in the following industrial settings:

Food and Beverage Manufacturing
Methylene chloride is used as an extraction solvent in the food and beverage manufacturing industry. For example, methylene chloride can be used to remove caffeine from unroasted coffee beans and tea leaves, to make decaffeinated coffee and tea.
Methylene chloride also is used in processing spices, creating hops extract for beer and other flavorings for the food and beverage industries.

Transportation Industry
Methylene chloride can be used to degrease metal surfaces and parts, such as airplane components and railroad tracks and equipment. Lubricating and degreasing products used in automotive products, for example in gasket removal and for prepping metal parts for a new gasket, could contain methylene chloride.
Automotive specialists use a vapor methylene chloride degreasing process to remove oils and grease from car transistor parts, diesel motors and aircraft components and spacecraft assemblies.
Modern vapor degreasing techniques that rely on methylene chloride enable metal parts in transportation systems to be cleaned quickly and safely.

Medical Applications
In laboratories, methylene chloride is used to extract chemicals from plants or foods for medicine such as steroids, antibiotics and vitamins.
Medical equipment can be quickly and efficiently cleaned with methylene chloride cleaners without causing corrosion problems or damage to heat-sensitive parts.

Definition and Usage Areas:

Dichloromethane (DCM or methylene chloride) is an organic compound with the formula CH2Cl2. This colorless, volatile liquid with a moderately sweet aroma is commonly used as a solvent. While not miscible with water, it is miscible with many organic solvents. One of the most well-known applications of dichloromethane is the drinking bird heat engine.

Natural sources of dichloromethane include ocean springs, macroalgae, wetlands, and volcanoes. However, the majority of dichloromethane in the environment is a result of industrial emissions.

Methylene chloride is produced by treating either chloromethane or methane with chlorine gas at 400-500°C. At these temperatures, both methane and chloromethane undergo a series of reactions that produce increasingly chlorinated products. In this way, approximately 400,000 tons were produced in 1993 in the USA, Europe and Japan.

CH4 + Cl2 → CH3Cl + HCl
CH3Cl + Cl2 → CH2Cl2 + HCl
CH2Cl2 + Cl2 → CHCl3 + HCl
CHCl3 + Cl2 → CCl4 + HCl

The production of these processes is a mixture of chloromethane, dichloromethane, chloroform and carbon tetrachloride. These compounds are separated by distillation.

Methylene chloride was first prepared in 1839 by the French chemist Henri Victor Regnault (1810-1878), and a mixture of chloromethane and chlorine was isolated from exposure to sunlight.

Usage areas:
Methylene chloride is widely used as paint stripper and degreaser.
Methylene chloride has been used in the food industry to decaffeinate coffee and chocolate, as well as to prepare hop extracts and other flavorings.
Methylene chlorides volatility has resulted in its use as an aerosol spray propellant and as a blowing agent for polyurethane foams.
The low boiling point of the chemical compound allows the chemical to run in a heat engine that can extract mechanical energy from small temperature differences. An example of a DCM heat engine is the drinking bird. The toy works at room temperature.
Methylene chloride chemically joins some plastics by welding. For example, it is used to cover the housing of electricity meters. Often sold as the main component of plastic welding adhesives, it is also widely used by model maker hobbyists to assemble with plastic components.
Methylene chloride is often referred to as "Di-clo".
Methylene chloride is used in the garment printing industry to remove heat-sealed garment transfers and takes advantage of volatility innovation elements: bubble lights and jukebox displays.
DCM is used in civil engineering materials testing;
Methylene chloride is used to allow testing of materials by separating the binder from an asphalt or macadam aggregate, especially when testing bituminous materials as a solvent.

Uses:
Solvent;
paint stripper, degreaser; extraction agent for flavorings and to decaffeinate coffee and tea;
aerosol propellant and blowing agent for polyurethane foams;
manufacture of pharmaceuticals, film coatings, and electronics

Formula: CH2Cl2
Molecular mass: 84.9
Boiling point: 40°C
Melting point: -97°C
Relative density (water = 1): 1.3 (20°C)
Solubility in water, g/100ml at 20°C: 1.3 (moderate)
Vapour pressure, kPa at 20°C: 47.4
Relative vapour density (air = 1): 2.9
Relative density of the vapour/air-mixture at 20°C (air = 1): 1.9
Auto-ignition temperature: 605°C
Explosive limits, vol% in air: 13-22
See Notes.
Octanol/water partition coefficient as log Pow: 1.25
Viscosity: 0.32 mm²/s at 20°C

Methylene Chloride is a colourless, non-flammable and volatile liquid chlorinated hydrocarbon also known as dichloromethane.
Methylene Chloride is mainly used as a solvent in closed industrial systems to extract pharmaceuticals (vitamins, antibiotics), fine chemicals, agrochemicals, cellulose acetate, etc.
Methylene Chloride can also be a feedstock for the refrigerant R 32 and a laboratory agent. Can be used as an extraction solvent in the food and beverage manufacturing industry to remove caffeine from unroasted coffee beans and tea leaves.

Uses:
-Antibiotic synthesis
-Paint strippers (restricted in the EU)
-PU foam co-blowing agent
-Metal cleaning/degreasing
-Caffeine extraction
-Acetate fibres & polycarbonate resins
-Printed circuit boards
-Photographic films
-Lab solvent
-Paints & adhesives

Methylene chloride (CH2Cl2), also known as dichloromethane, is one example of a class of chemicals known as chlorinated hydrocarbons.
Methylene chloride has been used for paint and furniture stripping, as an extraction solvent in pharmaceutical manufacturing, as a solvent for metal cleaning and degreasing, and as a solvent in spray adhesive and urethane foam blowing.

Methylene chloride is a volatile, colorless liquid that has a chloroform-like odor.
Methylene chloride has a boiling point of 104 deg. F and a vapor pressure of 350 mm at 68 deg. F (20 deg. C).

Methylene chloride, also called dichloromethane, a colourless, volatile, practically nonflammable liquid belonging to the family of organic halogen compounds.
Methylene chloride is extensively used as a solvent, especially in paint-stripping formulations.

Methylene chloride is commercially produced along with methyl chloride, chloroform, and carbon tetrachloride by the chlorination of methane.
Methylene chloride boils at 40° C (104° F) at atmospheric pressure; it is denser than water and very slightly soluble in it.
Methylene chloride is an effective solvent for fats, oils, greases, and many polymeric substances; its use is favoured by low toxicity, low flammability, high stability, and ease of recovery for reuse.

Methylene chloride is used as a solvent in paint strippers, as a propellant in aerosols, in the manufacture of photographic film, and as a process solvent in the manufacturing of drugs.

Methylene chloride (also known as dichloromethane) is an organic halogen compound with the molecular formula of CH2Cl2.
Methylene chloride is colourless liquid with a distinctive chloroform odour that is widely used as a solvent in paint strippers and degreasing.
Methylene chloride is a non-flammable liquid, having no measurable flashpoint or flammable limits in air.
Methylene chloride is miscible with most organic solvents but only slightly miscible in water.

Methylene chloride is predominantly used as a solvent for paint stripper, varnish removal, aerosol spray repellent and degreasing.
Methylene chloride is an effective solvent because of its highly volatility and stability.
Methylene chloride is also used in the processing of plastics, extracting fats and oils from food products. For example, it can be used to decaffeinate coffee/tea and to prepare hops.
Methylene chloride can weld certain plastics and is therefore used in the model-making industry. One final example of its use is in the garment printing industry for the removal of heat-sealed transfers. The main user end markets are the paints, varnish, plastics, cosmetics and textiles industries.

Methylene chloride is an organic solvent that is practically nonflammable, has strong solvency and high stability.
Methylene chloride is widely used in various applications such as resin manufacturing solvents and paint release agents. Furthermore, because of its low boiling point, it is also suitable as a solvent and an extractant for organic intermediates.

Applications:
-Metal degreasing cleaning
-Reaction solvents for medical and agrochemical production
-Solvent for manufacturing film, polycarbonate etc.
-Raw materials for fluorocarbon production
-Urethane foam

Methylene chloride is commonly used in paint strippers and degreasers.
Methylene chloride is also used as an inhalation anesthetic and a solvent for paint, lacquer, and varnish.

About Methylene chloride
Helpful information
Methylene chloride is registered under the REACH Regulation and is manufactured in and / or imported to the European Economic Area, at ≥ 10 000 tonnes per annum.

Methylene chloride is used by consumers, by professional workers (widespread uses), in formulation or re-packing, at industrial sites and in manufacturing.

Consumer Uses
Methylene chloride is used in the following products: adhesives and sealants, plant protection products, washing & cleaning products, biocides (e.g. disinfectants, pest control products) and coating products.
Other release to the environment of Methylene chloride is likely to occur from: indoor use as processing aid and outdoor use as processing aid.
Article service life
ECHA has no public registered data on the routes by which Methylene chloride is most likely to be released to the environment. ECHA has no public registered data indicating whether or into which articles the substance might have been processed.

Widespread uses by professional workers
Methylene chloride is used in the following products: washing & cleaning products, coating products, adhesives and sealants, biocides (e.g. disinfectants, pest control products) and plant protection products.
Methylene chloride is used in the following areas: scientific research and development and agriculture, forestry and fishing.
Methylene chloride is used for the manufacture of: .
Other release to the environment of Methylene chloride is likely to occur from: indoor use (e.g. machine wash liquids/detergents, automotive care products, paints and coating or adhesives, fragrances and air fresheners) and outdoor use as processing aid.

Formulation or re-packing
Methylene chloride is used in the following products: adhesives and sealants and coating products.
Release to the environment of Methylene chloride can occur from industrial use: formulation of mixtures.

Uses at industrial sites
Methylene chloride is used in the following products: washing & cleaning products, extraction agents, adhesives and sealants, coating products and heat transfer fluids.
Methylene chloride has an industrial use resulting in manufacture of another substance (use of intermediates).
Methylene chloride is used in the following areas: printing and recorded media reproduction.
Methylene chloride is used for the manufacture of: chemicals, textile, leather or fur, plastic products, rubber products, mineral products (e.g. plasters, cement) and machinery and vehicles.
Release to the environment of Methylene chloride can occur from industrial use: in processing aids at industrial sites, as an intermediate step in further manufacturing of another substance (use of intermediates) and of substances in closed systems with minimal release.

Manufacture
Release to the environment of Methylene chloride can occur from industrial use: manufacturing of the substance.

Methylene chloride is a colorless liquid with a mild, sweet odor.
Methylene chloride does not occur naturally in the environment.
Methylene chloride is made from methane gas or wood alcohol. Industrial uses of methylene chloride are extensive, as a solvent in paint strippers, as a propellant in aerosols, and as a process solvent in the manufacturing of drugs.
Methylene chloride is also used as a metal cleaning and fi nishing solvent, and it is approved as an extraction solvent for spices and hops. Exposure to methylene chloride occurs in workplaces by breathing fumes from paint strippers that contain it (check the label), breathing fumes from aerosol cans that use it (check the label), and breathing contaminated air near waste sites.

Methylene chloride reacts strongly with active metals such as potassium, sodium, and lithium, and strong bases, for instance, potassium tert-butoxide. However, the compound is incompatible with strong caustics, strong oxidizers, and metals that are chemically active such as magnesium and aluminum powders.

Methylene chloride is noteworthy that methylene chloride can attack some forms of coatings, plastic, and rubber. In addition, dichloromethane reacts with liquid oxygen, sodium-potassium alloy, and nitrogen tetroxide. When the compound comes into contact with water, it corrodes some stainless steels, nickel, copper as well as iron.
When exposed to heat or water, dichloromethane becomes very sensitive as it is subjected to hydrolysis that is hastened by light. Under normal conditions, solutions of Methylene chloride such as acetone or ethanol should be stable for 24 hours.
Methylene chloride does not react with alkali metals, zinc, amines, magnesium, as well as alloys of zinc and aluminum. When mixed with nitric acid or dinitrogen pentoxide, the compound can vigorously explode.

Methylene chloride is flammable when mixed with methanol vapor in the air.
Since the compound can explode, it is important to avoid certain conditions such as sparks, hot surfaces, open flames, heat, static discharge, and other ignition sources.

Uses
House Hold Uses
Methylene chloride is used in bathtub refurbishing.
Methylene chloride is highly used industrially in the production of pharmaceuticals, strippers, and process solvents.

Industrial and Manufacturing Uses
Methylene chloride is a solvent that is found in varnish and paint strippers, which are often used to remove varnish or paint coatings from various surfaces. As a solvent in the pharmaceutical industry, Methylene chloride is used for the preparation of cephalosporin and ampicillin.

Food and Beverage Manufacturing
Methylene chloride is also used in manufacturing beverage and food manufacturing as an extraction solvent. For instance, DCM can be used to decaffeinate unroasted coffee beans as well as tea leaves.
Methylene chloride is also used in creating hops extract for beer, beverages and other flavoring for foods, as well as in processing spices.

Transportation Industry
Methylene chloride is normally used in the degreasing of metal parts and surfaces, such as railroad equipment and tracks as well as airplane components.
Methylene chloride can also be used in degreasing and lubricating products utilized in automotive products, for instance, removal of the gasket and for preparing metal parts for a new gasket.
Experts in automotive commonly use vapor dichloromethane degreasing process to for the removal of grease and oils from car parts of car transistor, spacecraft assemblies, aircraft components, and diesel motors. Today, specialists are able to safely and quickly clean transportation systems using degreasing techniques that depend on methylene chloride.

Medical Industry
Methylene chloride is used in laboratories in the extraction of chemicals from foods or plants for medicines such as antibiotics, steroids, and vitamins. In addition, medical equipment can be efficiently and quickly cleaned using dichloromethane cleaners while avoiding damage to heat-sensitive parts and corrosion problems.

Photographic Films
Methylene chloride is used as a solvent in the production of cellulose triacetate (CTA), which is applied in the creation of safety films in photography. When dissolved in DCM, CTA begins to evaporate as the fibre of acetate remains behind.

Electronic Industry
Methylene chloride is used in the production of printed circuit boards in the electronic industry.
Methylene chloride is utilized to degrease the foil surface of the substrate before the photoresist layer is added to the board.

IUPAC names:
Dichlormethan
Dichlormethane
dichlormethane
DICHLOROMETHANE
Dichloromethane
dichloromethane
Dichloromethaner
dichloromethane
Dichloromethane (stabilized with 2-Methyl-2-butene)
dichloromethane, methylene chloride
dichloromethane;
Dichloromethane; Methylene Chloride
dichloromethane; methylene chloride
dichlorormethane
diclorometano
Dischloromethane
Methane, dichloro-
METHYLENE CHLORIDE
Methylene Chloride
Methylene chloride
methylene chloride
Methylene Chloride
Methylene chloride, Dichloromethane

SYNONYMS:
DEBLOCKING REAGENT
DEBLOCK REAGENT
DEBLOCK-TCA REAGENT
DETRITYLATING REAGENT
TRICHLOROACETIC ACID/DICHLOROMETHANE
TRICHLOROACETIC ACID IN DICHLOROMETHANE
Aerothene MM
CH2Cl2
Chlorure de methylene
chloruredemethylene
chloruredemethylene(french)
Dichlormethan
dichloro-methan
dichloromethane(methylenechloride)
Distillex DS3
Driverit
F30
F30(chlorocarbon)
Freon 30
Freon30