Tetrachlorobenzenes are manufactured as intermediates for the production of fungicides, herbicides, defoliants, insecticides as well as dielectric fluids for transformers (1). There are three isomers with the following chlorine substitutions; 1,2,3,4 / 1,2,3,5 / 1,2,4,5. While the chemical industry measures these compounds for purity they are also found in the environment as the result of leaking transformers and to a lesser extent from the manufacture of paper. In the pulp and paper industry these compounds can be a byproduct of the bleaching process which uses chlorine and chlorine dioxide (2).
Image of 1,2,3,4- tetrachlorobenzene.
https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/tetrachlorobenzene#section=3D-Conformer
We have had several requests for these compounds and have added them to the over 500 compounds currently on the Rxi-624Sil MS ProEZGC library.
On the Rxi-624Sil MS, the isomers elute in the order as they are listed below:
- 1,2,3,5- Tetrachlorobenzene
- 1,2,4,5- Tetrachlorobenzene
- 1,2,3,4- Tetrachlorobenzene
Figure 1: Shows the Tetrachlorobenzene isomers with alkanes on the Rxi-624Sil MS.
- Government of Canada. 1993. Tetrachlorobenzene. Canadian Environmental Protection Act Priority Substances List Assessment Report. Environment Canada and Health Canada, Ottawa.
- US EPA. 1994. Locating and Estimating Air Emissions from Sources of Chlorobezenes (revised). EPA-454/R-93-044. Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards. Research Triangle Park, NC.
