Bromodichloromethane is a trihalomethane with formula CHBrCl2. It is a colorless, nonflammable liquid which will dissolve in water, or evaporate in air.[1] Most of the chemical is produced through the chlorine disinfection process,[1] and as a result it can occur in municipally-treated drinking water.[2] It is also produced in small quantities by algae in the oceans.[1] According to the CDC, levels normal in drinking water are not known to cause health problems, but it has been classified by the US EPA as a probable human carcinogen.
 Chemical diagram
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 Spacefill model
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| Names | |
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| Preferred IUPAC name
Bromo(dichloro)methane | |
| Other names
Bromodichloromethane
Dichlorobromomethane | |
| Identifiers | |
3D model (JSmol)
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| 1697005 | |
| ChEBI | |
| ChEMBL | |
| ChemSpider | |
| ECHA InfoCard | 100.000.779 |
| EC Number |
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| 25941 | |
| KEGG | |
PubChem CID
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| RTECS number |
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| UNII | |
| UN number | 2810 3082 |
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)
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| Properties | |
| CHBrCl2 | |
| Molar mass | 163.8 g/mol |
| Appearance | Colorless liquid |
| Density | 1.980 g/cm3 |
| Melting point | −57 °C (−71 °F; 216 K) |
| Boiling point | 90 °C (194 °F; 363 K) |
| 4.5 g/L at 20 °C | |
| -66.3·10−6 cm3/mol | |
Refractive index (nD)
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1.4964 |
| Hazards | |
| GHS labelling: | |
 
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| Danger | |
| H302, H315, H319, H335, H350 | |
| P201, P202, P261, P264, P270, P271, P280, P281, P301+P312, P302+P352, P304+P340, P305+P351+P338, P308+P313, P312, P321, P330, P332+P313, P337+P313, P362, P403+P233, P405, P501 | |
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Bromodichloromethane has formerly been used as a flame retardant, and a solvent for fats and waxes and because of its high density for mineral separation.[citation needed] Now it is only used as a reagent or intermediate in organic chemistry.[citation needed] In the US it is only produced in small quantities, which are used for these chemical reasons.[1] For example, it can be used to produce phenyl(bromodichloromethyl)mercury, which is widely used in the production of dichlorocarbene.[3] It can be prepared by treating a mixture of chloroform and bromoform with triethyl-benzylammonium chloride and sodium hydroxide.[3]
Toxicity
editAccording to the CDC, as of 2020[update], levels that it is normal to be exposed to in drinking water are lower than levels known to cause health problems.[1] A small number of studies have examined the effects of low levels of bromodichloromethane on people, but most were also exposed to other chemicals, so it may not be the only cause of reported health problems.[1] Studies in animals with much higher levels of the chemical than what humans are normally exposed to have resulted in health problems.[1] The effects of the chemical on children are unknown but expected to be the same as on adults.[1]
No standards regulating its presence in drinking water currently exist in the United States, though a limit of 80 ppb exists for the total amount of trihalomethanes in general.[4] The Environmental Working Group claims that bromodichloromethane can increase cancer risks and cause harm to reproduction, child development, and fetal growth and development in when present in quantities higher than 0.06 parts per billion (ppb).[5] This data largely comes from studies reviewed or conducted by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.[6] As of 2020[update], the chemical is considered by the US Department of Health and Human Services to be reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen, and by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to be a probable human carcinogen.[1]
Notes
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i "ToxFAQs™: Bromodichloromethane". Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. CDC. Retrieved 2024-08-13.
- ^ Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry, Accessed 07/10/2012, https://wwwn.cdc.gov/TSP/ToxFAQs/ToxFAQsLanding.aspx?id=707&tid=127
- ^ a b Chlorinated Drinking-water; Chlorination By-products; Some Other Halogenated Compounds; Cobalt and Cobalt Compounds: IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans Volume 52. Vol. 52. 1991. pp. 179–212. ISBN 978-92-832-1252-2.
- ^ Group, Environmental Working. "EWG's Tap Water Database: Disinfection Byproducts". www.ewg.org. Retrieved 2023-08-08.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ Group, Environmental Working. "EWG's Tap Water Database: Contaminants in Your Water". www.ewg.org. Retrieved 2023-08-08.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ "Public Health Goals for Trihalomethanes in Drinking Water" (PDF). oehha.ca.gov. Retrieved 2023-08-08.
External links
edit- International Chemical Safety Card 0393
- Bromodichloromethane at The Carcinogenic Potency Database
- Toxicological Profile at ATSDR
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