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ethylene chloride
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Quick Facts
Also called:
ethylene dichloride or 1,2-dichloroethane
Related Topics:
vinylic halide
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ethylene chloride

chemical compound
Also known as: 1,2-dichloroethane, ethylene dichloride
Written by
Francis A. Carey
Associate Professor of Chemistry, University of Virginia, Charlottesville. Author of Organic Chemistry and others.
Francis A. Carey
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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History

ethylene chloride (C2H4Cl2), a colourless, toxic, volatile liquid having an odour resembling that of chloroform. It is denser than water, and it is practically insoluble in water.

Ethylene chloride is produced by the reaction of ethylene and chlorine. The annual production of ethylene chloride exceeds that of all other organohalogen compounds and ranks behind only that of ethylene and propylene among all organic compounds. Almost all ethylene chloride is converted to vinyl chloride for the production of polyvinyl chloride, or PVC. The conversion of ethylene chloride to vinyl chloride is carried out at temperatures of about 500 °C (930 °F) in the presence of a catalyst.

Francis A. Carey