Methylene Chloride

methylene chloride

[′meth·ə‚lēn ′klȯr‚īd]

(organic chemistry)

CH₂Cl₂ A colorless liquid, practically nonflammable and nonexplosive; used as a refrigerant in centrifugal compressors, a solvent for organic materials, and a component in nonflammable paint-remover mixtures.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms, 6E, Copyright © 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Methylene Chloride

 

CH₂C1₂; a colorless liquid with an odor similar to that of chloroform. Boiling point, 40°C ; density, 1.3255 g/cm³ at 20°C . It is miscible with organic solvents; its solubility in water is 1.32 g per 100 g at 25°C . Methylene chloride reacts with water to form an azeotrope (boiling point, 38. TC; 98.5 percent CH₂C1₂).

Methylene chloride is prepared commercially by chlorination of methane, which also produces methyl chloride and chloroform. It is used as a solvent for plastics, rubber, cellulose esters, and fats, as well as in the extraction of essential oils. Methylene chloride has a mild narcotic effect.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.