Organochloride
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Image:Chloroform-2D.png Image:Chloroform-3D-vdW.png |
| Two representations of the organochloride chloroform. |
An organochloride is an organic compound containing at least one covalently bonded chlorine atom. Their wide structural variety and divergent chemical properties lead to a broad range of uses.
The simplest form of organochlorides are chlorinated hydrocarbons. These consist of simple hydrocarbons in which one or more hydrogen atoms have been replaced with chlorine. Most low molecular weight chlorinated hydrocarbons such as chloroform, dichloromethane, dichloroethene and trichloroethane are useful as solvents. These solvents tend to be immiscible with water and because they are polar solvents, they dissolve are wide variety of chemical compounds.
Many organochlorides have significant biological activities. For example, many powerful and effective insecticides are organochlorides. Common examples include dioxin, DDT, dicofol, heptachlor, endosulfan, chlordane, mirex and pentachlorophenol.
Polychlorinated biphenyls were once commonly used electrical insulators and heat transfer agents. Their use has generally been phased out due to health concerns.
Chlorinated alkenes are useful monomers used in the preparation of a variety of materials. For example, vinyl chloride is polymerized to form the plastic polyvinyl chloride (PVC).
Many organochlorides have significant toxicity. Insecticides such as dioxin and DDT are persistent organic pollutants which pose dangers to the environment. Chlorinated solvents, when not handled and disposed of properly, present problems with groundwater pollution. Some organochlorides such as phosgene have even been used as chemical warfare agents. However, the presence of chlorine in an organic compound does not in any way ensure toxicity. Many organochlorides are safe enough for consumption in foods and medicines, such as loratadine (Claritin), sertraline (Zoloft), lamotrigine (Lamictal) and the sweetener sucralose (Splenda).
