Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Hardware toluene.

beastmaster - 21-3-2011 at 11:24

I was looking at a brand,"safety kleen," toluene and it claims to be 100 percent pure toluene. Is that true? It would have to be at least tech. grade. and I know that has some by products. Anyone have any experience with that brand?

Magic Muzzlet - 21-3-2011 at 11:39

It probably isn't, as a rule any solvent you acquire OTC should be distilled. If it doesn't have a COA then you can't take anything it says as truth.

AndersHoveland - 21-3-2011 at 12:29

It depends what the intended use is. For most simple organic reactions, such as making TNT, the product is probably pure enough as it is. However, even trace impurities can be highly detrimental for some reactions.
For making pharmaceutically active compounds (which unfortunately a few people attempt to make in their homes), it is a very bad idea to to use regents of uncertain composition, which could be tainted with poisons, or unlisted ingredients and additives that could cause the final product to be tainted by unintended poisonous products.

It is quite possible that the "100 percent toluene" could also contain xylene or minute quantities of benzene.
If the toluene in the product was imported from China, it would not be surprising if the methylene chloride got put in the mixture.

Certainly household cleaning ammonia, which is labeled "pure ammonia" in the ingredients, is only around a 20% solution of ammonium hydroxide in water.

Wizzard - 22-3-2011 at 06:41

I know the toluene I get from the paint store for my sulfur crystal growing yeilds poor crystals if not evaporated and re-distilled.

Fleaker - 22-3-2011 at 22:09

Distill it and toss/burn the first 50 mL per liter (it has most of the water from the azeotrope).