Keyestudio
Toluene 1L 99.5%
Toluene 1L 99.5%
Toluene, also known as toluol , is an aromatic hydrocarbon. It is a colorless, water-insoluble liquid with the smell associated with paint thinners. It is a mono-substituted benzene derivative, consisting of a methyl group (CH₃) attached to a phenyl group. As such, its systematic IUPAC name is methylbenzene. Toluene is predominantly used as an industrial feedstock and a solvent.
As the solvent in some types of paint thinner, permanent markers, contact cement and certain types of glue, toluene is sometimes used as a recreational inhalant and has the potential of causing severe neurological harm.
Chemical Properties
| Properties | |
|---|---|
| C7H8 | |
| Molar mass | 92.141 g·mol−1 |
| Appearance | Colorless liquid[2] |
| Odor | sweet, pungent, benzene-like[3] |
| Density | 0.87 g/mL (20 °C)[2] |
| Melting point | −95 °C (−139 °F; 178 K)[2] |
| Boiling point | 111 °C (232 °F; 384 K)[2] |
| 0.52 g/L (20 °C)[2] | |
| log P | 2.68[4] |
| Vapor pressure | 2.8 kPa (20 °C)[3] |
| −66.11·10−6 cm3/mol | |
|
Refractive index (nD)
|
1.497 (20 °C) |
Chemical Structure Toluene 1L 99.5%
Safety
Description
Toluene reacts as a normal aromatic hydrocarbon in electrophilic aromatic substitution.[14][15][16] Because the methyl group has greater electron-releasing properties than a hydrogen atom in the same position, toluene is more reactive than benzene toward electrophiles. It undergoes sulfonation to give p-toluenesulfonic acid, and chlorination by Cl2 in the presence of FeCl3 to give ortho and para isomers of chlorotoluene.
Importantly, the methyl side chain in toluene is susceptible to oxidation. Toluene reacts with Potassium permanganate to yield benzoic acid, and with chromyl chloride to yield benzaldehyde (Étard reaction).
The methyl group undergoes halogenation under free radical conditions. For example, N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) heated with toluene in the presence of AIBN leads to benzyl bromide. The same conversion can be effected with elemental bromine in the presence of UV light or even sunlight. Toluene may also be brominated by treating it with HBr and H2O2 in the presence of light.[17]
- C6H5CH3 + Br2 → C6H5CH(Br)2 + HBr
- C6H5CH2Br + Br2 → C6H5CHBr2 + HBr
The methyl group in toluene undergoes deprotonation only with very strong bases, its pKa is estimated to be approximately 41.[18] Complete hydrogenation of toluene gives methylcyclohexane. The reaction requires a high pressure of hydrogen and a catalyst.
