CAS number
- 100-41-4
Molecular formula
- C8H10
Formula weight
- 106.2 g/mol
Family
- Monocyclic aromatic hdrocarbons (MAH)
Compound properties list|
| Melting/boiling point | -94 °C / -136 °C | Liquid |
| Relative density | 0.86 g/cm3 | Floats on water |
| Vapour pressure | 8 mm Hg | Moderately volatile |
| Vapour density | 3.7 | Denser than air |
| Solubility in water | 180 mg/L | Low solubility |
| Henry's law constant | 6 x 10-3 atm·m3/mol | Rapid volatilization when dissolved |
| log Koc (Depending on soil or sediment characteristics) | 2.2 - 2.7* | Moderate adsorption to organic matter |
At 20 0C, ethylbenzene is a liquid that floats on water and is moderately volatile.
Characterized by its low solubility, it will volatilize rapidly once dissolved and moderately
adsorbs to organic matter. During a spill, this compound will evaporate in part but the majority of
the product will enter into the soil or drain into a waterway. Liquid ethylbenzene can accumulate
along the capillary fringe (groundwater) or form a film on the water's surface which will promote
its solubilization and volatilization. The adsorbed ethylbenzene in the vadose and saturated zones
will take some time to disappear, liberating contamination primarily in either the gaseous but also
in the dissolved state. The resulting plumes (gaseous or dissolved) will be relatively limited in
size.
Ethylbenzene should be handled with care as it is flammable and toxic.
Ethylbenzene is an aromatic hydrocarbon naturally present in crude petroleum, but it is
primarily produced by reacting benzene with ethylene. Ethylbenzene is widely distributed in the
environment because it is a component of aviation and automotive fuels, used as a solvent, and used
in many chemical manufacturing and production processes. The major industrial use of ethylbenzene is
for styrene production, but it is also used in the manufacture of synthetic rubber, acetophenone,
cellulose acetate, diethylbenzene, and many other chemicals.
Ethylbenzene is an important industrial chemical in terms of volume and releases into the
environment can occur during its manufacture, storage, transportation and processing. The bulk of
releases come from spills of gasoline and other fuels, from the disposal of household products such
as paint, cleaning and degreasing products, varnishes and pesticides, as well as from leaking
underground storage tanks and from the leaching of landfill sites.
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). 2007. Toxicological
Profile for Ethylbenzene. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service,
Georgia, USA. (Viewed March 2010)
Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment. 1999. Canadian Water Quality Guidelines for
the Protection of Aquatic Life: Ethylbenzene. In: Canadian Environmental Quality Guidelines.
Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment, Manitoba, Canada. (Viewed March 2010)
Montgomery, John H. 2007. Groundwater Chemicals, Desk Reference, Fourth Edition, CRC
Press, Taylor and Francis Group, Florida, USA.
