CAS number
- 208-96-8
Molecular formula
- C12H8
Formula weight
- 152.2 g/mol
Family
- Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH)
Compound properties list|
| Melting/boiling point | 91 °C | Solid |
| Relative density | 0.89 g/cm3 | Floats on water |
| Vapour pressure | 0.01 mm Hg | Very low volatility |
| Vapour density | 0 | N/A |
| Solubility in water | 15 mg/L | Low solubility |
| Henry's law constant | 1 x 10-4 atm·m3/mol | Moderate volatilization when dissolved |
| log Koc (Depending on soil or sediment characteristics) | 3.7 - 6.8* | Strong adsorption to organic matter |
At 20 0C, acenaphthylene is a solid that floats on water. It is characterized by low to
very low volatility, low solubility, and once dissolved, it volatilizes moderately while adsorbing
very strongly to organic matter. When present in soil, it dissolves slowly. Once dissolved,
acenaphthylene can reach the water table or migrate into a waterway, where it will be diluted,
before partially volatilizing. Fragments of acenaphthylene can also be moved towards a waterway,
where they will disperse on the surface of the water and then slowly dissolve. Once the source has
been removed the adsorbed phase will take a very long time to disappear, liberating contamination in
either the gaseous or dissolved state. The resulting plumes (gaseous or dissolved) will be
relatively small in size.
Acenaphthylene should be handled with care, as it is toxic.
Acenaphthylene is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH). PAHs are a group of organic
compounds that contain two or more benzene rings in their structure. There are more than 100
different PAHs that generally occur as complex mixtures (example, combustion by-products such as soot).
Incomplete combustion of fuels in engines, during coal coking, or when wood is burning (forest
fires, wood stoves) produces PAHs. PAHs are also constituents of petroleum and coal, and they are
more present in some of their derivatives like tars and asphalt. The wood preservative industry
(example, creosote), aluminum smelters using Soderberg electrodes, and hazardous waste disposal sites
are further contributors of anthropogenic PAHs to the environment.
Acenaphthylene may be obtained by fractionation of coal tar, or by the catalytic dehydrogenation
of acenaphthene. It has limited use in the production of acenaphthene and of specialized polymers.
Most individual PAHs have very limited or no known uses, except as research chemicals in biochemical
or cancer research. Acenaphthylene is more likely to be found mixed with other PAHs in commercial
products like coal tar, coal tar pitch, creosote, bitumen and asphalt. Coal tar is used as a fuel in
the steel industry, distilled to give coal tar pitch and creosote, and has been used in the clinical
treatment of skin disorders such as eczema and dermatitis. Coal tar pitch is used primarily as a
binder for aluminum smelting electrodes, but is also used in roofing, surface coatings and a variety
of other applications. Creosote is used to preserve wood for railroad ties, marine pilings and
telephone poles. Some creosote products are also used as a fuel by steel production. Bitumen and
asphalt are used for paving roads, for sound- and water-proofing, and coating pipes.
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs). U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, Public Health Service, Georgia, USA. (Viewed December 2013)
Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment. 1999. Canadian Water Quality Guidelines for
the Protection of Aquatic Life: Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs). In: Canadian
Environmental Quality Guidelines. Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment, Manitoba,
Canada. (Viewed December 2013).
Montgomery, John H. 2007. Groundwater Chemicals, Desk Reference, Fourth Edition, CRC
Press, Taylor and Francis Group, Florida, USA.
National Toxicology Program. 2005. Report on Carcinogens, Twelfth Edition: Substance Profile of
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health
Services, USA.(PDF, 229KB) (Viewed December 2013)
