Dichloromethane (Methylene Chloride) Lab Grade

Dichloromethane is an organochloride that appears as a colorless volatile liquid having sweet chloroform like odor. It is a member of the chloromethane family in which two of the hydrogen atoms are replaced by chlorine atoms. Therefore, it is polar in nature and possesses high immiscibility in water. Lab grade chemicals possess reasonable purity but do not comply with any official standard for quality or purity. Our Lab Grade Dichloromethane/DCM is mostly suitable for educational and research purposes. Due to the presence of impurities, it is not recommended for food, drug, or medicinal applications.

Dichloromethane | Methylene Chloride | "DCM" | High Purity Laboratory Grade | Formula CH2Cl2 | For Extraction & Decaffeination | Acrylic, Polycarbonate & Plastic Adhesive | For Pesticide Residue Analysis | Fast Drying Solvent

Dichloromethane (Methylene Chloride) For Sale Online At LabAlley.com

• Buy Methylene Chloride For HPLC, GC & Pesticide Residue Analysis
• Buy Methylene Chloride For Extraction And Decaffeination
• Buy Methylene Chloride To Use As A Fast Drying Solvent Cement Or Acrylic, Polycarbonate And Plastic Adhesive
• Buy Methylene Chloride For Pharmaceuticals
• Buy Methylene Chloride For Tablet Coatings And Food Products

Uses Of Methylene Chloride (dichloromethane) Ordered Online At LabAlley.com

DCM Is Used For Caffeine Extraction, Bonding Polycarbonates, Food & Beverage Extraction Solvent Uses, Acrylic Gluing, Cement, Bonding & Adhesives, Tablet Coating & Pharmaceuticals

Methylene Chororide/ Dichloromethane Properties And Structure

• Melting point: -142.1°F (-96.7°C)
• Density: 1.33 g/cm³
• Molar mass: 84.93 g/mol
• Molecular Weight‎: ‎84.93 g/mol
• Boiling point: 103.3°F (39.6°C)
• Formula: CH2Cl2
• IUPAC ID: Dichloromethane
• ChemSpider ID: 6104
• Viscosity: 0.43 cP (20 °C)
• CAS Registry Number: 000075-09-2

Information About Methylene Chloride 

Methylene chloride, also known as dichloromethane or DCM, is a solvent used in a range of consumer products and industrial chemicals. Methylene chloride is used as a solvent in paint and varnish removers and as a degreasing agent.  Dichloromethane chemically welds certain plastics. 

Dichloromethane is a geminal organic chemical. It is also known to the scientists under the names methylene chloride or methylene dichloride. The substance may also be called refrigerant-30 freon-30, R-30, DCM, UN 1593, solmethine, narkotil, solaesthin or MDC. The formula of the chemical is CH2Cl2, the CAS number 75-09-2.  Methylene chloride is used in manufacturing of hydroflorocarbons such as HFC-32.

It naturally occurs in oceans, volcanoes, wetlands, and macroalgae, but mainly appears as the result of industrial processes. Methylene chloride is produced in labs by treating methane or chloromethane with chlorine gas at 400 – 500 °C.

Dichloromethane is a colorless liquid with a moderately sweet, chloroform-like aroma. It is highly volatile and emits toxic fumes when heated. The chemical has no definite flash point, though it forms flammable vapor-air mixtures. It is fully miscible with carbon tetrachloride, ethyl acetate, chloroform, alcohol, benzene, diethyl ether and hexanes.

Methylene Chloride And Dichloromethane For Auto Repair Shops And Machinists

Methylene chloride can be used to degrease metal surfaces and automobile parts, such as airplane components and railroad tracks and equipment. Auto repair shops use solvents containing methylene chloride in their washing systems.  Automotive repair technicians use methylene chloride to strip paint.  Methylene chloride is as an industrial and manufacturing solvent used by machinists to glue and bond acrylic parts and pieces.

Methylene Chloride Is An Effective Solvent

Although pure dichloromethane, or pure methylene chloride, is potentially lethal, it is a good solvent for use in organic chemistry laboratories to separate and extract organic products. Dichloromethane is an organic solvent used in chemistry laboratories for peptide synthesis and elution.  Methylene chloride is the most common solvent for extraction in liquid-liquid extraction of water because it is only slightly miscible with water and it extracts an acceptably wide range of nonpolar analytes.

Chloroform and dichloromethane are mixed to produce solvents that are used to extract and purify compounds and botanicals from medicinal plant material and herbs.

Dichloromethane (DCM or methylene chloride) is an organochlorine compound with the formula CH2Cl2. This colorless, volatile liquid with a moderately sweet aroma is widely used as a solvent. Although it is not miscible with water, it is polar, and miscible with many organic solvents.

What Products Is Methylene Chloride Found In?

It can be found in certain home maintenance products along with aerosol and pesticide products and is used in the manufacture of photographic film. The chemical may be found in some spray paints, automotive cleaners, and other household products. For more information about products that contain methylene chloride, also known as dichloromethane, click here.

How Is Methylene Chloride (Dichloromethane/ DCM) Made?

DCM is produced by treating either chloromethane or methane with chlorine gas at 400–500 °C.  Dichloromethane was first prepared in 1839 by the French chemist Henri Victor Regnault (1810–1878), who isolated it from a mixture of chloromethane and chlorine that had been exposed to sunlight.

Environmental Effects Of Dichloromethane

The majority of dichloromethane in the environment is the result of industrial emissions. At sufficiently high concentrations, dichloromethane may harm wildlife, but the effects are minimized by the rapid evaporation of the liquid into the air in which it slowly breaks down into other substances. As a VOC, it is thought to contribute only slightly to the formation of potentially damaging ground level ozone or photochemical smogs. The slow degradation of dichloromethane in air means that it can be carried long distances to remote locations. Although it can remove ozone, dichloromethane usually reacts with other air pollutants in the lower atmosphere and so does not significantly deplete the ozone layer in the high stratosphere (which protects the earth from harmful UV sun rays).

How Can Exposure to Methylene Chloride Affect Human Health?

Exposure to normal environmental concentrations of methylene chloride/ dichloromethane is unlikely to damage human health. However inhalation of high concentrations (following an accidental release for example) for even short amounts of time may damage the nervous system and the heart and may also cause cancer. Inhalation of ground level ozone (in the formation of which dichloromethane is slightly involved) can exacerbate respiratory conditions such as asthma.

Methylene Chloride Polarity

Dichloromethane/ methylene chloride has a role as a polar aprotic solvent. Methylene chloride or dichloromethane is moderately polar.  CH2Cl2 is fairly polar at the bond level, but hardly at all at the molecular level due to symmetry-based cancellation of polarity.

Dichloromethane (Methylene Chloride), Lab Grade Features:

• Reagent
• Varnishes
• Extraction solvent

• Foam industries
• Production of aerosols
• Shoe manufacturing

Methylene Chloride Uses 

DCM's volatility and ability to dissolve and extract a wide range of organic compounds makes it a useful solvent for many chemical processes. In laboratories, methylene chloride is used to extract chemicals from plants or foods for pharmaceutical medicines such as steroids, antibiotics and vitamins. Medical equipment can be quickly and efficiently cleaned with methylene chloride cleaners without causing corrosion problems or damage to heat-sensitive parts.

Methylene chloride is widely used as a paint stripper and a degreaser. In 2019, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final rule to prohibit the manufacture (including import), processing, and distribution of methylene chloride in all paint removers for consumer use. In the food industry, it has been used to extraction solvent for spice oleoresins, process spices, decaffeinate coffee and tea as well as to prepare extracts of hops and other flavorings.  DCM was the solvent of choice for caffeine extraction in the 1970s, however when it was found to be carcinogenic it was soon replaced by other non-toxic solvents.

Its volatility has led to its use as an aerosol spray propellant and as a blowing agent for polyurethane foams.  Methylene chloride/ dichloromethane is used as a solvent to remove chemical compounds from the stems, stalks, roots, flowers, buds and leaves from medicinal plants.

Dichloromethane (Methylene Chloride) Lab Shipping Information:
DOT: Dichloromethane, 6.1, UN1593, PG III

Please contact us to request a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) and Certificate of Analysis (COA) for Dichloromethane (Methylene Chloride) Lab.

Buy Methylene Chloride Online (C7H8) Or By Phone: 512-668-9918

If you have questions about ordering methylene chloride online here at LabAlley.com or would like to place an order, call 512-668-9918 or email customerservice@laballey.com to talk with a methylene chloride specialist. Methylene chloride, which is also called dichloromethane or DCM, is a clear, colorless, non-flammable, volatile liquid with a chloroform-like smell.

To request a methylene chloride/ dichloromethane safety data sheet (SDS) or methylene chloride/ dichloromethane material safety data sheet (MSDS) from Lab Alley, click here.

Methylene Chloride Safety And Hazards

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) monitors and regulates methylene chloride in industrial settings. OSHA’s Methylene Chloride Standard sets a permissible exposure limit of 25 parts of methylene chloride per million parts of air over an eight-hour period. Employers must follow OSHA requirements applicable to worker protection, including maintaining proper ventilation and use of respirators and other safety gear. Methylene chloride is toxic and can cause death.  

Canada's federal government named methylene chloride a toxic substance under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (Cepa) more than a decade ago. But it has not taken steps to regulate its use in paint strippers, nor required that such products be labelled to inform consumers about the risk they pose.  Retailer Canadian Tire is voluntarily phasing out paint strippers that contain methylene chloride and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) by the end of the year. The move follows in the footsteps of US chains including Walmart and Home Depot.

Numerous people have died from exposure to methylene chloride.  Methylene chloride can kill you. In the body, methylene chloride turns into carbon monoxide, which crowds out oxygen in the blood. Without substantial protective gear, it can quickly starve the heart and brain of air.

Methylene chloride is suspected of causing cancer.  The inhalation of methylene chloride (dichloromethane) can have anesthetic effects, cause nausea and drunkenness. If methylene chloride (dichloromethane) contacts the skin and eyes it can cause irritation. Methylene chloride (dichloromethane) is flammable under specific conditions. Methylene chloride (dichloromethane gives off irritating or toxic fumes (or gases) in a fire. Methylene chloride (dichloromethane) is explosive under specific conditions. For more information about the health effects of methylene chloride (dichloromethane), click here.