2. Organic Solvents Characteristics and Hazards 

3. Acetic Acid  Vinegar smell  Irritating vapor  Burns skin  Formulas-molecular (2 ways) and structural

4. Acetone  Highly flammable  Nontoxic  Dries out the skin  Found in nail polish remover  Formula-structural only  Also called dimethyl ketone and propanone

5. Benzene  Damages the bone marrow  Can cause leukemia  Very flammable  Toxic  Exposure to benzene can cause impotence  Formulas-molecular (C 6 H 6 ) and structural

6. Carbon Tetrachloride  Nonflammable  Suspected carcinogen (what’s that?)  Easily absorbed through the skin  Used in dry cleaning industry  Also called tetrachloromethane  Formula-molecular and structural

7. Chloroform  Old anesthetic  Suspected carcinogen  Also called trichloromethane  Formulas-molecular and structural

8. Ethanol  Also called ethyl alcohol or grain alcohol  An intoxicant  Extremely flammable  In lab it’s only found in a denatured form  Formula-structural only

9. Diethyl Ether  Highly explosive  Most flammable of these solvents  Gas at room temperature  More dense than air  Used as a general anesthetic  Also called “ether”  Formula-structural only

10. Hexane  Irritates the respiratory tract  Flammable  Depresses the central nervous system  Formula-molecular and structural

11. Toluene  Toxic, but not carcinogenic  Damages the central nervous system  Formula-structural only

12. Methanol  Second most flammable of these solvents  Can be used as rocket fuel  Also called methyl alcohol or wood alcohol  Formula-structural only  Ingestion causes blindness-why?

13. Methanol Reactions A and B take place in the liver. A.) Methanol  alcohol dehydrogenase  formaldehyde Mr. formaldehyde acts like Pac Man. First, he denatures the myelin sheath on the optic nerve. You go blind, then die. So why don’t you go blind and die when you drink ethanol? B.) Ethanol  alcohol dehydrogenase  acetaldehyde  CO 2 + water Acetaldehyde has a mild toxicity, which causes the hangover.Carbon dioxide and water are harmlessly excreted.

14. That’s all for now Go to lab injuries fun pictures