Chloromethane

 

Chloromethane

Chemical formula	CH3Cl
OTP appearance	colorless gas
Molar Mass(g/mol)	50.49
Melting Point(°C)	-97.4
Boiling Point(°C)	-23.8
Solubility in water(g/L)	5.325
NFPA 704	4 2 0

Uses

Other

• feedstock for methanol
• Feedstock for iodomethane (via Finklestein reaction)

Natural occurrence

• does occur naturally in some oceanic zones.

Production

Synthesis

cf. chloromethane production

• Combine methanol and hydrochloric acid

  CH₃OH + HCl

  {ZnCl

  →

  }

  CH₃Cl

Purification

Fractionally distill the product mixture

Chloromethane boiling points

Compound	Boiling point (°C)
CH3Cl	-23.8
CH2Cl2	39.6
CHCl3	61.15
CCl4	76.72

See Also

• dichloromethane, trichloromethane, carbon tetrachloride