1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene

1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene, also known as pseudocumene, is an organic compound with the chemical formula C6H3(CH3)3. Classified as an aromatic hydrocarbon, it is a flammable colorless liquid with a strong odor. It is nearly insoluble in water but soluble in organic solvents. It occurs naturally in coal tar and petroleum (about 3%). It is one of the three isomers of trimethylbenzene.

1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene[1]
Skeletal formula
Skeletal formula
Ball-and-stick model
Ball-and-stick model
Names
Preferred IUPAC name
1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene
Other names
Pseudocumene,
Asymmetrical trimethylbenzene,
ψ-Cumene
Identifiers
3D model (JSmol)
1903005
ChEBI
ChEMBL
ChemSpider
ECHA InfoCard 100.002.216
EC Number
  • 202-436-9
KEGG
RTECS number
  • DC3325000
UNII
UN number 1993 2325
  • InChI=1S/C9H12/c1-7-4-5-8(2)9(3)6-7/h4-6H,1-3H3 checkY
    Key: GWHJZXXIDMPWGX-UHFFFAOYSA-N checkY
  • InChI=1/C9H12/c1-7-4-5-8(2)9(3)6-7/h4-6H,1-3H3
    Key: GWHJZXXIDMPWGX-UHFFFAOYAF
  • c1c(ccc(c1C)C)C
Properties
C9H12
Molar mass 120.19 g/mol
Appearance Colorless liquid
Density 0.8761 g/cm3
Melting point −43.78 °C (−46.80 °F; 229.37 K)
Boiling point 169 to 171 °C (336 to 340 °F; 442 to 444 K)
-101.6·10−6 cm3/mol
Hazards
GHS labelling:
GHS02: FlammableGHS07: Exclamation markGHS09: Environmental hazard
Warning
H226, H315, H319, H332, H335, H411
P210, P233, P240, P241, P242, P243, P261, P264, P271, P273, P280, P302+P352, P303+P361+P353, P304+P312, P304+P340, P305+P351+P338, P312, P321, P332+P313, P337+P313, P362, P370+P378, P391, P403+P233, P403+P235, P405, P501
Flash point 44.4 °C (111.9 °F; 317.5 K)
Explosive limits 0.9%–6.4%[2]
NIOSH (US health exposure limits):
PEL (Permissible)
 none[2]
Safety data sheet (SDS) Sigma-Aldrich MSDS
Related compounds
Related compounds
 1,2,3-Trimethylbenzene; 1,3,5-Trimethylbenzene
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
checkY verify (what is checkY☒N ?)
Infobox references

Production

Industrially, it is isolated from the C9 aromatic hydrocarbon fraction during petroleum distillation. Approximately 40% of this fraction is 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene. It is also generated by methylation of toluene and xylenes and the disproportionation of xylene over aluminosilicate catalysts.[3]

Uses

Pseudocumene is a precursor to mellitic anhydride, from which high performance polymers are made. It is also used as a sterilizing agent and in the making of dyes, perfumes and resins. Another use is as a gasoline additive.[4]

Scintillator

1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene dissolved in mineral oil is used as a liquid scintillator[5] in particle physics experiments such as NOνA and Borexino.

See also

References
  1. Merck Index, 11th Edition, 7929
  2. NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards. "#0638". National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
  3. Karl Griesbaum, Arno Behr, Dieter Biedenkapp, Heinz-Werner Voges, Dorothea Garbe, Christian Paetz, Gerd Collin, Dieter Mayer, Hartmut Höke "Hydrocarbons" in Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry 2002 Wiley-VCH, Weinheim. doi:10.1002/14356007.a13_227
  4. "Chemical Summary for 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene" (text). United States Environmental Protection Agency. 1994-08-01. Retrieved 2008-01-28.
  5. Mufson, S.; et al. (November 1, 2015). "Liquid scintillator production for the NOvA experiment". Nuclear Instruments and Methods A. 799: 1–9. arXiv:1504.04035. Bibcode:2015NIMPA.799....1M. doi:10.1016/j.nima.2015.07.026. S2CID 118578183.
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