Carbon tetrachloride

 

Carbon tetrachloride

Chemical formula	CCl4
OTP appearance	colorless liquid
Index of refraction	1.4607
Molar Mass(g/mol)	153.81
Density(g/cc)	1.5867(l)
Melting Point(°C)	-22.92
Boiling Point(°C)	76.72
Solubility in water(g/L)	< 1
Immediate Danger to Life and Health	200ppm
NFPA 704	0 3 0

Uses

Justification Questioned

Other

• feedstock for tetrachloroethylene

  Tetrachloroethylene is obtained by the vapor phase reaction of carbon tetrachloride in the presence of elemental hydrogen and a barium chloride catalyst at a temperature of at least 500° C.

Hazards

• CNS depression
• Hepatoxic, kidney damage

Production

Synthesis

Carbon tetrachloride is mostly produced as a side product of the production of other more useful chloromethanes.(cf. chloromethane production)

from trichloromethane

Combine trichloromethane with chlorine gas

CHCl₃ + Cl₂ → CCl₄ + HCl

from carbon disulfide

Combine carbon disulfide with chlorine gas:

CS₂ + 2 Cl₂

{

→

105-130°C}

CCl₄ + S₂Cl₂

Purification

1. Wash with water, separate and retain organic layer
2. fractionally distill, possibly from benzene (bp 80.1)

Chloromethane boiling points

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

Storage

• Cool temperatures in anoxic environment
  • 2 CCl₄ + O₂
    {

    →

    heat}
    2 COCl₂ + 2 Cl₂

See Also

• chloromethane, dichloromethane, trichloromethane