Bromodichloromethane

Last updated
Bromodichloromethane
Bromodichloromethane displayed.svg
Chemical diagram
Bromodichloromethane pubchem spacefill model.png
Spacefill model
Names
Preferred IUPAC name
Bromo(dichloro)methane
Other names
Bromodichloromethane
Dichlorobromomethane
Identifiers
3D model (JSmol)
1697005
ChEBI
ChEMBL
ChemSpider
ECHA InfoCard 100.000.779 OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
EC Number
  • 200-856-7
25941
KEGG
PubChem CID
RTECS number
  • PA5310000
UNII
UN number 2810 3082
  • InChI=1S/CHBrCl2/c2-1(3)4/h1H Yes check.svgY
    Key: FMWLUWPQPKEARP-UHFFFAOYSA-N Yes check.svgY
  • InChI=1/CHBrCl2/c2-1(3)4/h1H
    Key: FMWLUWPQPKEARP-UHFFFAOYAR
  • BrC(Cl)Cl
Properties
CHBrCl2
Molar mass 163.8 g/mol
AppearanceColorless liquid
Density 1.980 g/cm3
Melting point −57 °C (−71 °F; 216 K)
Boiling point 90 °C (194 °F; 363 K)
4.5 g/L at 20 °C
−66.3·10−6 cm3/mol
1.4964
Hazards
GHS labelling:
GHS-pictogram-exclam.svg GHS-pictogram-silhouette.svg
Danger
H302, H315, H319, H335, H350
P201, P202, P261, P264, P270, P271, P280, P281, P301+P312, P302+P352, P304+P340, P305+P351+P338, P308+P313, P312, P321, P330, P332+P313, P337+P313, P362, P403+P233, P405, P501
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Bromodichloromethane is a trihalomethane with formula C H Br Cl 2. It is a colorless, nonflammable liquid which will dissolve in water, or evaporate in air. [1] Most of the chemical is produced through the chlorine disinfection process, [1] and as a result it can occur in municipally-treated drinking water. [2] It is also produced in small quantities by oceanic algae. [1] According to the CDC, levels normal in drinking water are not known to cause health problems, but it has been classified by the US EPA as a probable human carcinogen.

Contents

Bromodichloromethane has formerly been used as a flame retardant, and a solvent for fats and waxes and for mineral ore separation. Now it is only used as a reagent or intermediate in organic chemistry. [3] In the US it is only produced in small quantities, which are used for these chemical reasons. [1] For example, it can be used to produce phenyl(bromodichloromethyl)mercury, which is widely used in the production of dichlorocarbene. [4] It can be prepared by treating a mixture of chloroform and bromoform with triethyl-benzylammonium chloride and sodium hydroxide. [4]

Toxicity

According to the CDC, as of 2020, levels that it is normal to be exposed to in drinking water are lower than levels known to cause health problems. [1] A small number of studies have examined the effects of low levels of bromodichloromethane on people, but most were also exposed to other chemicals, so it may not be the only cause of reported health problems. [1] Studies in animals with much higher levels of the chemical than what humans are normally exposed to have resulted in health problems. [1] The effects of the chemical on children are unknown but expected to be the same as on adults. [1]

As of 2020, the chemical (in sufficient quantities) is considered by the US Department of Health and Human Services to be reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen, and by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to be a probable human carcinogen. [1] No standards regulating its presence in drinking water currently exist in the United States, though a limit of 80 ppb exists for the total amount of trihalomethanes in general. [5]

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "ToxFAQs™: Bromodichloromethane". Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. CDC . Retrieved 2024-08-13.
  2. ↑ Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry, Accessed 07/10/2012, https://wwwn.cdc.gov/TSP/ToxFAQs/ToxFAQsLanding.aspx?id=707&tid=127
  3. ↑ "Trihalomethanes in Drinking-water" (PDF). World Health Organization. 2004. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  4. 1 2 Chlorinated Drinking-water; Chlorination By-products; Some Other Halogenated Compounds; Cobalt and Cobalt Compounds: IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans Volume 52. Vol. 52. 1991. pp. 179–212. ISBN   978-92-832-1252-2.
  5. ↑ "National Primary Drinking Water Regulations". Environmental Protection Agency. 2015-11-30. Retrieved 2025-09-05.
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