A History of the Production and Use of Carbon Tetrachloride, Tetrachloroethylene, Trichloroethylene and 1,1,1-Trichloroethane in the United States: Part 1--Historical Background; Carbon Tetrachloride and Tetrachloroethylene

Abstract

Carbon tetrachloride (CTC), tetrachloroethylene (PCE), trichloroethylene (TCE) and 1,1,1-trichloroethane (TCA) were four of the most widely used cleaning and degreasing solvents in the United States. These compounds were also used in a wide variety of other applications. The history of the production and use of these four compounds is linked to the development and growth of the United States' synthetic organic chemical industry, and historical events that aected the development and use of chlorinated solvents in general. Part 1 of this article includes a discussion of the historical background common to each of the four solvents, followed by discussion on the history of CTC and PCE. In the early years of the 20th century, CTC became the ®rst of the four solvents to come into widespread use. CTC was used as a replacement for petroleum distillates in the dry-cleaning industry, but was later replaced by PCE. In the 1990s, CTC was phased out under the Montreal Protocol due to its role in stratospheric ozone depletion.# 2000 AEHS

Reaction of carbon tetrachloride with methane in a non-equilibrium plasma at atmospheric pressure, and characterisation of the polymer thus formed

“…As it has a higher specific gravity than water, if CCl 4 reaches a ground water source it inevitably becomes a severe environmental hazard. For these reasons, it has been a subject of strict regulatory controls [6].…”

“…Historically, carbon tetrachloride served as a dry cleaning agent but was later employed as an intermediate chemical in chlorofluorocarbons synthesis [6]. CCl 4 was used a feedstock in the manufacture of insecticides and other chemical intermediates.…”

Rapid Reductive Dechlorination of Trichloroethene in Contaminated Ground Water Using Biostimulation Agent, BD-1, Formulated from Canola Oil

“…Hydrogen was measured by taking a 500 μL sample of the headspace gas and injecting it into a packed GC column equipped with a thermal conductivity detector TCD GC-2014, Shimadzu, Japan . The GC-TCD operated with a stainless steel packed column 6.0 m 3.00 mm ID, Shincarbon, Shimadzu and the following program: injector temperature, 100 ; detector temperature, 200 ; splitless injection system; argon carrier fl ow rate, 30.0 mL min 1 . The GC temperature program was as follows: 40 rising to 200 at a rate of 25 min 1 , and 200 held for 8.6 min.…”

“…The HPLC system was operated with a Shim-pack SCR column 300 mm 7.9 mm ID; Shim-pack SCR-102H . A 10 μL aliquot of analyte was loaded and eluted isocratically using 5 mM p-toluenesulfonate pH 2.7 at a fl ow rate of 0.8 mL min 1 . The oven temperature was 40 .…”

“…Organochlorines such as tetrachloroethene and trichloroethene TCE were used intensively in industry until the discovery of their adverse effects on humans and the environment 1 . The US EPA National Priorities List contains numerous reports on cleaning up TCE contamination in groundwater; these reports emphasize the need for efficient and cost-effective remediation strategies to remove this probable human carcinogen 2 .…”