Fact sheet: Anthracene

General information

CAS number

120-12-7

Molecular formula

C₁₄H₁₀

Formula weight

178.2 g/mol

Family

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH)

Properties (at room temperature where applicable)

Environmental behaviour

At 20 ⁰C, anthracene is a solid with very low volatility. Characterized by its very low solubility, it will volatilize moderately once dissolved and adsorbs very strongly to organic matter. When present in soil, this compound will volatilize and solubilize very slowly. Once dissolved, it will either enter the groundwater table or migrate towards a waterway, where it will be diluted before partially volatilizing. Fragments of anthracene can also be carried into a waterway where they will deposit at the bottom and will very slowly dissolve. Once the source has been removed, the adsorbed anthracene 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.

Health and safety

Anthracene should be handled with care as it is toxic.

Principal resources

Anthracene 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.

Anthracene is obtained from coal tar. It is used in the production of anthraquinone, the parent compound for a large class of dyes and pigments. Anthracene is also used in the manufacture of synthetic fibers, insecticides and coating materials, in calico printing, as a diluent for wood preservatives, as scintillation counter crystals and in organic semiconductor research. Anthracene is also used in biochemical or cancer research. Anthracene is also 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.

References

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). 1995. Toxicological Profile for 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, 256KB) (Viewed December 2013)