Chloral
| Chloral | |
|---|---|
 |
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Trichloroethanal |
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| Identifiers | |
| CAS number | 75-87-6  |
| ChemSpider | 6167 |
| UNII | FLI06WS32H |
| KEGG | C14866 |
| Jmol-3D images | Image 1 |
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| Properties | |
| Molecular formula | C2HCl3O |
| Molar mass | 147.388 g/mol |
| Density | 1.512 g/cm3 @ 20 °C |
| Melting point |
−57.5 °C |
| Boiling point |
97.8 °C |
| Solubility in water | forms soluble hydrate |
| Solubility in ethanol | miscible |
| Solubility in diethyl ether | miscible |
| Solubility in chloroform | miscible |
 (verify) (what is:  / ?)Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C, 100 kPa) |
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| Infobox references | |
Chloral, also known as trichloroacetaldehyde, is the organic compound with the formula Cl3CCHO. This aldehyde is a colourless oily liquid that is soluble in a wide range of solvents. It reacts with water to form chloral hydrate, a once widely used sedative and hypnotic substance.
Contents |
[edit] Production
Chloral can be produced by chlorination of ethanol, as reported in 1832 by Justus von Liebig.
[edit] Key reactions
Aside from its tendency to hydrate, chloral is most notable as a building block in the synthesis of DDT. For this purpose, chloral is treated with chlorobenzene in the presence of a catalytic amount of sulfuric acid:
- Cl3CCHO + 2 C6H5Cl → Cl3CCH(C6H4Cl)2 + H2O
This reaction was described by Othmar Zeidler in 1874.[1]
Chloral is also used to form chloroform by treating it with sodium hydroxide.
[edit] References
- ^ Othmar Zeidler (1874). "Verbindungen von Chloral mit Brom- und Chlorbenzol". Berichte der deutschen chemischen Gesellschaft 7 (2): 1180–1181. doi:10.1002/cber.18740070278.
