Harman Patil (Editor)

Benzal chloride

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Formula
  
C7H6Cl2

Molar mass
  
161.03 g/mol

Appearance
  
Colorless liquid

Boiling point
  
205 °C

Density
  
1.25 g/cm³

Benzal chloride Benzal chloride Expired Benzal chloride Expired

Benzal chloride is an organic compound with the formula C6H5CHCl2. This colourless liquid is a lachrymator and is used as a building block in organic synthesis.

Benzal chloride Synthesis of BENZAL CHLORIDE PrepChemcom

Preparation and usage

Benzal chloride PTC EsterificationHydrolysis of Benzal Chloride to Aldehyde PTC

Benzal chloride is produced by the free radical chlorination of toluene, being preceded in the process by benzyl chloride (C6H5CH2Cl) and followed by benzotrichloride (C6H5CCl3):

Benzal chloride Synthesis of BENZAL CHLORIDE PrepChemcom
C6H5CH3 + Cl2 → C6H5CH2Cl + HCl C6H5CH2Cl + Cl2 → C6H5CHCl2 + HCl C6H5CHCl2 + Cl2 → C6H5CCl3 + HCl
Benzal chloride wwwchemspidercomImagesHandlerashxid13882337amp

Benzylic halides are typically strong alkylating agents, and for this reason benzal chloride is treated as a hazardous compound.

Treatment of benzal chloride with sodium gives stilbene.

Most benzal chloride main industrial use is as a precursor to benzaldehyde. This conversion involves hydrolysis in the presence of base:

C6H5CHCl2 + H2O → C6H5CHO + 2 HCl

References

Benzal chloride Wikipedia
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