|   | |||
| 
 | |||
| Names | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Preferred IUPAC name 2-Chloroethan-1-ol [1]  | |||
| Other names 
 | |||
| Identifiers | |||
| 3D model (JSmol) | |||
| 878139 | |||
| ChEBI | |||
| ChEMBL | |||
| ChemSpider | |||
| ECHA InfoCard | 100.003.146 | ||
| EC Number | 
 | ||
| 25389 | |||
| KEGG | |||
| MeSH | Ethylene+Chlorohydrin | ||
|  PubChem CID | |||
| RTECS number | 
 | ||
| UNII | |||
| UN number | 1135 | ||
|  CompTox Dashboard (EPA) | |||
| 
 | |||
| 
 | |||
| Properties | |||
| C2H5ClO | |||
| Molar mass | 80.51 g·mol−1 | ||
| Appearance | Colourless liquid | ||
| Odor | ether-like | ||
| Density | 1.201 g/mL | ||
| Melting point | −62.60 °C; −80.68 °F; 210.55 K | ||
| Boiling point | 127–131 °C; 260–268 °F; 400–404 K | ||
| Miscible [3] | |||
| log P | −0.107 | ||
| Vapor pressure | 700 Pa (at 20 °C) | ||
|  Refractive index (nD) | 1.441 | ||
| Thermochemistry | |||
|  Std enthalpy of combustion (ΔcH⦵298) | −1.1914 MJ/mol | ||
| Hazards | |||
| Occupational safety and health (OHS/OSH): | |||
| Main hazards | Highly toxic and flammable | ||
| GHS labelling: | |||
|     | |||
| Danger | |||
| H226, H300+H310+H330 | |||
| P260, P280, P284, P301+P310, P302+P350 | |||
| NFPA 704 (fire diamond) | |||
| Flash point | 55 °C (131 °F; 328 K) | ||
| 425 °C (797 °F; 698 K) | |||
| Explosive limits | 5–16% | ||
| Lethal dose or concentration (LD, LC): | |||
| LD50 (median dose) | 
 | ||
| LC50 (median concentration) | |||
| NIOSH (US health exposure limits): | |||
|  PEL (Permissible) | TWA 5 ppm (16 mg/m3) [skin] [3] | ||
|  REL (Recommended) | C 1 ppm (3 mg/m3) [skin] [3] | ||
|  IDLH (Immediate danger) | 7 ppm [3] | ||
| Related compounds | |||
| Related compounds | |||
| Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa). | |||
2-Chloroethanol (also called ethylene chlorohydrin or glycol chlorohydrin) is an organic chemical compound with the chemical formula HOCH2CH2Cl and the simplest beta-halohydrin (chlorohydrin). [6] This colorless liquid has a pleasant ether-like odor. It is miscible with water. The molecule is bifunctional, consisting of both an alkyl chloride and an alcohol functional group. [7]
2-Chloroethanol is produced by treating ethylene with hypochlorous acid: [7]
 
 2-Chloroethanol was once produced on a large scale as a precursor to ethylene oxide:
 
 This application has been supplanted by the more economic direct oxidation of ethylene. Otherwise chloroethanol is still used in the production of pharmaceuticals, biocides, and plasticizers. [7] Many of these applications entail its use in installing 2-hydroxyethyl groups. [8] Several dyes are prepared by the alkylation of aniline derivatives with chloroethanol. [9] It is also used for manufacture of thiodiglycol.
It is a solvent for cellulose acetate and ethyl cellulose, textile printing dyes, in dewaxing, refining of rosin, extraction of pine lignin, and the cleaning of machines.
Chloroethanol is a metabolite in the degradation of 1,2-dichloroethane. The alcohol is then further oxidized via chloroacetaldehyde to chloroacetate. This metabolic pathway is topical since billions of kilograms of 1,2-dichloroethane are processed annually as a precursor to vinyl chloride. [10]
2-Chloroethanol is toxic with an LD50 of 89 mg/kg in rats. Like most organochlorine compounds, chloroethanol releases hydrochloric acid and phosgene when burned.
In regards to dermal exposure to 2-chloroethanol, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has set a permissible exposure limit of 5 ppm (16 mg/m3) over an eight-hour time-weighted average, while the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has a more protective recommended exposure limit of a 1 ppm (3 mg/m3) exposure ceiling. [11]
It is classified as an extremely hazardous substance in the United States as defined in Section 302 of the U.S. Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (42 U.S.C. 11002), and is subject to strict reporting requirements by facilities which produce, store, or use it in significant quantities. [12] [ failed verification ]
For example, the omission of the locant '1' in 2-chloroethanol, while permissible in general usage, is not allowed in preferred IUPAC names, thus the name 2-chloroethan-1-ol is the PIN.