Styrene

styrene

[′stī‚rēn]

(organic chemistry)

C₆H₅CH:CH₂ A colorless, toxic liquid with a strong aroma; insoluble in water, soluble in alcohol and ether; polymerizes rapidly, can become explosive; boils at 145°C; used to make polymers and copolymers, polystyrene plastics, and rubbers. Also known as phenylethylene; styrene monomer; vinylbenzene.

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 It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Styrene

 

(also phenylethylene, vinylbenzene), a colorless liquid with a characteristic odor, a melting point of 30.6°C, a boiling point of 145.2°C, and a density of 0.906 g/cm³ (20°C).

Styrene is practically insoluble in water but is miscible with most organic solvents. The compound is readily oxidized, it combines with halogens, and it also undergoes polymerization and copo-lymerization with various monomers. Since polymerization proceeds at room temperature, and sometimes explosively, inhibitors (tert-butylpyrocatechol, hydroquinone) are added during storage. The principal method of producing styrene is the catalytic dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene in a steam flow at 500°–630°C.

Styrene is used chiefly in the production of polystyrene, as well as in the production of such copolymers as butadiene-styrene rubbers and polyester resins. Copolymers of styrene with divinyl-benzene serve as ion-exchange resins.

Vapors of styrene irritate the mucous membrane; concentration in the air must not exceed 0.005 milligram per cubic decimeter.

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