chloroform

Also known as Terchloride of formyle, trichloromethane, methane trichloride, methylidyne trichloride, trichloroform, trichloromethyl radical, methenyl chloride, formyl trichloride

Chloroform, or trichloromethane (often abbreviated as TCM), is an organochloride with the formula and a common solvent. It is a volatile, colorless, sweet-smelling, dense liquid produced on a large scale as a precursor to refrigerants and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). Chloroform was once used as an inhalational anesthetic between the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. It is miscible with many solvents but it is only very slightly soluble in water (only 8 g/L at 20°C).

OverviewAI-generated

Chloroform is a chemical compound with the formula CHCl₃. It has a standard enthalpy of formation of -131.8 and an ionization energy of 11.42. The substance exhibits a boiling point of 143 and a melting point that has been recorded as -63.0, -63.6, -82, and -64. Its density is 1.48, and the speed of sound within it is 987. Chloroform has a vapor pressure of 160, a solubility of 0.5, and a partition coefficient water/octanol of 1.97.

Additional physical properties include a mass of 117.914, an electric dipole moment of 1.04, and a global warming potential of 20. Exposure limits are defined with a ceiling exposure limit of 240, a short-term exposure limit of 9.78, and an immediately dangerous to life or health level of 2440. The compound is referenced by 3,617 other encyclopedia articles and has 30111 associated PubMed entries.

Synthesized by Vinony from 34 facts across 4 sources: Wikidata, PubChem, PubMed, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Chemical data

Formula: CHCl3
Molecular weight: 119.37 g/mol
IUPAC name: chloroform
SMILES: C(Cl)(Cl)Cl
InChIKey: HEDRZPFGACZZDS-UHFFFAOYSA-N
XLogP: 2.3
Polar surface area: 0 Å²
H-bond donors: 0
H-bond acceptors: 0
Formal charge: 0

via PubChem

Research

30,111 papers

Chloroform.ReviewIARC monographs on the evaluation of the carcinogenic risk of chemicals to humans · 1979
Chloroform anesthesia.Anesthesia and analgesia · 1973Lieberman SL
Chloroform.Report on carcinogens : carcinogen profiles · 2011National Toxicology Program
Noteworthy Chemistry of Chloroform.ReviewJournal of anesthesia history · 2016Alston TADOI: 10.1016/j.janh.2016.04.008
Chloroform.Anesthesiology · 1947FEATHERSTONE HWDOI: 10.1097/00000542-194707000-00004
Chloroform exposure in air and water in Swedish indoor swimming pools-urine as a biomarker of occupational exposure.Annals of work exposures and health · 2023Ragnebro O, Helmersmo K, Fornander L et al.DOI: 10.1093/annweh/wxad035
Chloroform.Report on carcinogens : carcinogen profiles · 2004
Chloroform parties.JAMA · 1973Storms WW

via PubMed

~20 min read

Encyclopedic overview

23 sections

Contents

Structure and name
Natural occurrence
History
Production
Deuterochloroform
Inadvertent formation of chloroform
Uses
Solvent
Refrigerant
Lewis acid
Reagent
Anaesthetic
Recreational use
Criminal use
Safety
Exposure
Pharmacology
Conversion to phosgene
Regulation
Bioremediation of chloroform
Gallery
References
External links

==Structure and name== The molecule adopts a tetrahedral molecular geometry with C3v symmetry. The chloroform molecule can be viewed as a methane molecule with three hydrogen atoms replaced with three chlorine atoms, leaving a single hydrogen atom.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “chloroform” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.