Everything about Hexane totally explained
| Section2 =
| Section7 =,,,,
,,
| SPhrases =,,,,,
,,
| FlashPt = −23.3 °C
| Autoignition = 233.9 °C
}}
| Section8 =
}}
Hexane is an
alkane hydrocarbon with the
chemical formula CH
3(CH
2)
4CH
3. The "hex" prefix refers to its six carbons, while the "ane" ending indicates that its carbons are connected by single bonds. Hexane
isomers are largely unreactive, and are frequently used as an inert solvent in organic reactions because they're very non-polar. They are also common constituents of
gasoline and glues used for shoes, leather products and roofing. Additionally, it's used in solvents to extract oils for cooking and as a cleansing agent for shoe, furniture and textile manufacturing. In laboratories, hexane is used to extract
oil and
grease from water and soil before determination by gravimetric analysis or
gas chromatography.
Isomers
Hexane has five
isomers:
- Hexane, CH3CH2CH2CH2CH2CH3, a straight chain of six carbon atoms.
- 2-Methylpentane (Isohexane), CH3CH(CH3)CH2CH2CH3, a five-carbon chain with one methyl branch on the second.
- 3-Methylpentane, CH3CH2CH(CH3)CH2CH3, a five-carbon chain with one methyl branch on the third.
- 2,3-Dimethylbutane, CH3CH(CH3)CH(CH3)CH3, a four-carbon chain with one methyl branch on the second and third.
- 2,2-Dimethylbutane, CH3C(CH3)2CH2CH3, a four-carbon chain with two methyl branches on the second.
Production
Hexane is produced by the
refining of
crude oil. The exact composition of the fraction depends largely on the source of the oil (crude or reformed) and the constraints of the refining. The industrial product (usually around 50% by weight of the straight-chain isomer) is the fraction boiling at 65–70 °
C.
Toxicity
The acute
toxicity of hexane is relatively low, although it's a mild
anesthetic. Inhalation of high concentrations produces first a state of mild
euphoria, followed by
somnolence with
headaches and
nausea.
Chronic intoxication from hexane has been observed in recreational solvent abusers and in workers in the
shoe manufacturing, furniture
restoration and
automobile construction industries. The initial symptoms are tingling and cramps in the arms and legs, followed by general muscular weakness. In severe cases,
atrophy of the
skeletal muscles is observed, along with a loss of coordination and problems of vision.
Similar symptoms are observed in animal models. They are associated with a degeneration of the
peripheral nervous system (and eventually the
central nervous system), starting with the distal portions of the longer and wider nerve
axons. The toxicity isn't due to hexane itself but to one of its
metabolites,
hexane-2,5-dione. It is believed that this reacts with the
amino group of the
side chain of
lysine residues in
proteins, causing
cross-linking and a loss of protein function.
The effects of hexane poisoning in humans are uncertain. In 1994, n-hexane was included in the list of chemicals on the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI). In the latter part of the 20th and early part of the 21st centuries, a number of explosions have been attributed to the combustion of hexane gas.
In 2001, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued regulations on the control of emissions of hexane gas due to its potential carcinogenic properties and environmental concerns.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Hexane'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://hexane.totallyexplained.com">Hexane Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
