CAS number
- 541-73-1
Molecular formula
- C6H4Cl2
Formula weight
- 147 g/mol
Family
- Chlorobenzenes
Compound properties list|
| Melting/boiling point | -25 °C / 173 °C | Liquid |
| Relative density | 1.28 g/cm3 | Sinks in water |
| Vapour pressure | 2 mm Hg | Moderately volatile |
| Vapour density | 5.1 | Much denser than air |
| Solubility in water | 130 mg/L | Low solubility |
| Henry's law constant | 3 x 10-3atm·m3/mol | Rapid volatilization when dissolved |
| log Koc (Depending on soil or sediment characteristics) | 3.0 - 4.0* | Strong adsorption to organic matter |
At 20 0C, 1,3-dichlorobenzene is a liquid denser than water and moderately volatile.
Characterized by low solubility, it will volatilize rapidly once dissolved and adsorbs strongly to
organic matter. During a spill, this compound will evaporate in part but may also enter into the
soil or drain into a waterway. Once in water (surface or subsurface), 1,3-dichlorobenzene will
dissolve or sink (primarily) until it reaches an impermeable surface. The liquid 1,3-dichlorobenzene
that accumulates in a saturated zone will slowly dissolve before volatilization occurs. The adsorbed
1,3-dichlorobenzene in the vadose and saturated zones will take a 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.
1,3-dichlorobenzene should be handled with care, as it is flammable and toxic.
1,3-dichlorobenzene does not occur naturally. Chlorinated benzenes are typically produced
by reacting liquid benzene with gaseous chlorine in the presence of a catalyst at moderate
temperatures and atmospheric pressures. This reaction yields a mixture of chlorobenzene isomers with
varying degrees of chlorination.
Liquid 1,3-dichlorobenzene is not imported, produced, or used in any industrial processes or
products in Canada. There is evidence, however, of the creation of minor amounts dichlorobenzenes
during the chlorination of benzene-containing sewage, from the dehalogenation of more highly
chlorinated benzenes, and during incineration of organic matter containing chlorine. In the United States,
1,3-dichlorobenzene has been used in the production of herbicides, insecticides, medicines, and
dyes.
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). 2006. Toxicological profile
for dichlorobenzenes. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service.
Georgia, U.S.A. (Viewed December 2013)
Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment. 1999. Canadian water quality guidelines for
the protection of aquatic life: Chlorinated benzenes-1,3-Dichlorobenzene. In: Canadian
environmental quality guidelines, 1999. Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment, Winnipeg.
Canada. (Viewed December 2013)
Montgomery, John H. 2007. Groundwater Chemicals, Desk Reference, Fourth Edition, CRC
Press, Taylor and Francis Group, Florida, U.S.A.
