Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Xylyl Bromide?

Metacelsus - 27-4-2016 at 07:27

From my experience making benzyl bromide: use bromine, toluene (xylene in your case), and strong sunlight. Let it react until the bromine color is gone. Keep it cooled to increase selectivity (lowering formation of ring-brominated products).

Benzyl bromide is a lachrymator, just like xylyl bromide. It isn't too bad if you avoid generating vapors, and work in a fume hood (or large outdoor area on a windy day). If you need to, you can wear swim goggles.

However, I would advise against making xylyl bromide just because you can. In my case, I needed the benzyl bromide to prepare other compounds (such as benzylmagnesium bromide). Xylyl bromide is only useful as a tear gas, and today there are much less toxic (and more effective) tear gases.

Metacelsus - 27-4-2016 at 16:22

220 C is a low boiling point?

Or did you mean low vapor pressure?

Daffodile - 27-4-2016 at 16:35

Sorry man I tried to delete the thread, don't know why it didn't work.

Thanks for the advice but because of its high boiling point, and the fact that I'm getting sick from cleaning up Xylene right now, I guess theres no way in hell I'm going to make this.

By sick I mean like headache and throwing up, I don't know why this hasnt happened before.

[Edited on 28-4-2016 by Daffodile]

Fegie - 30-4-2016 at 10:26

Quote: Originally posted by Daffodile  
Sorry man I tried to delete the thread, don't know why it didn't work.

Thanks for the advice but because of its high boiling point, and the fact that I'm getting sick from cleaning up Xylene right now, I guess theres no way in hell I'm going to make this.

By sick I mean like headache and throwing up, I don't know why this hasnt happened before.

[Edited on 28-4-2016 by Daffodile]

Use a gasmask man....
As someone who has gassed himself ON PURPOSE by dispersing lacrymators into a room with pressured air i must say gas mask is a must...
Ive tried out CS gas the same way, and in no way can chloroacetone, bromoacetone or other ww1 era "tear gasses" compete with it...
With chloroacetone, the pain in your eyes goes away in 10 seconds after exiting the area of exposure and barely any tearing happens, but your nasal cavity well absolutely get wrecked, youl feel some extreme pain which makes you want to hit a wall or bite your own hand, hence why ive never tried inhaling it....


Use a gasmask when making it if youre not in a fumehood, doing it outside wont be enough.

If youre throwing up from xylene fumes youve prolly already killed a couple hundred thousand braincells there, for the love of god use a gas mask with military grade filters, they are cheap atleast here, gas mask for 5 euros, filters 60 cents + they come with an additional chemical filter that can be filled with cotton wool and chemical neutralization/cleaning agent.
+ a can of the cleaning agent might come with the filter or cost 1 euro per bottle, and its plentiful...



yes yes gassing myself with ww1 era chemicals is darwin awards material.........