CAS number
- 156-60-5
Molecular formula
- C2H2Cl2
Formula weight
- 96.6 g/mol
Family
- Chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons (CAH)
Compound properties list|
| Melting/boiling point | -50 °C / 47 °C | Liquid |
| Relative density | 1.25 g/cm3 | Sinks in water |
| Vapour pressure | 300 mm Hg | Very volatile |
| Vapour density | 3.4 | Denser than air |
| Solubility in water | 6,000 mg/L | Moderately soluble |
| Henry's law constant | 8 x 10-3 atm·m3/mol | Rapid volatilization when dissolved |
| log Koc (Depending on soil or sediment characteristics) | 1.6 | Moderate adsorption to organic matter |
At 20 0C, trans-1,2-dichloroethene is a liquid denser than water and very volatile.
Characterized by moderate solubility, it will volatilize rapidly once dissolved and adsorbs
moderately to organic matter. During a spill, the majority of this compound will evaporate, but may
also percolate into the soil or migrate into a waterway. Once it encounters water (surface or
subsurface), the trans-1,2-dichloroethene will dissolve or sink until it reaches an impermeable
surface. Liquid trans-1,2-dichloroethene that accumulates in a saturated zone will gradually
dissolve before volatilizing. The adsorbed trans-1,2-dichloroethene in the vadose and saturated
zones will rapidly disappear, liberating contamination in either the gaseous or dissolved state. The
resulting plumes (gaseous or dissolved) will be relatively large in size.
Trans-l,2-Dichloroethene should be handled with care as it is flammable, corrosive and toxic.
1,2-Dichloroethene is commercially produced by the direct chlorination of acetylene or
by the dehydrochlorination of l,l,2-trichloroethane. Such commercial preparations are mixtures of
cis- and trans-l,2-dichloroethene. The trans isomer is preferred in most industrial applications.
1,2-Dichloroethene is used primarily as a chemical intermediate in the synthesis of chlorinated
solvents and compounds. It has also been used as a solvent for waxes, resins, acetyl cellulose,
perfumes, dyes, lacquers, thermoplastics, fats and phenols. It is used in the extraction of rubber,
as a refrigerant, and in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals. It has also been used as a
low-temperature extraction solvent for organic materials such as decaffeinated coffee.
1,2-Dichloroethene is released into the environment from production facilities that make or use
this chemical, from landfills and hazardous waste sites containing this chemical, from chemical
spills, the burning of objects made of vinyl, and from the breakdown of other chlorinated
chemicals.
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), 1996. Toxicological
Profile for l,2-dichloroethene. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health
Service, Georgia, USA. (Viewed December 2013)
Montgomery, John H. 2007. Groundwater Chemicals, Desk Reference, Fourth Edition, CRC
Press, Taylor and Francis Group, Florida, USA.
