Acetyl Chloride: Preparation and Hazards

Acetyl Chloride is a colorless to pale yellow, fuming liquid with a pungent odor. lt is used to make pharmaceuticals and pesticides.

Preparation

Acetyl chloride can be prepared in several ways:

• An accessible route involves the reaction of acetic anhydride and HCl. Dried HCl gas is bubbled through acetic anhydride. The resulting product is fractionally distilled and the fraction with a close boiling point is collected and further purified. SM member Magpie was able to obtain crude acetyl chloride with a yield of 70% using this method.

• Reacting chloromethane with carbon monoxide at 860°C, in the presence of a catalyst, such as dry (NaPO3)6 or borax will give acetyl chloride.

• One patent claims that one of the products from the hydrolysis of chloroform in the presence of iron (III) chloride, at temperatures between 150 - 160°C is acetyl chloride. The process takes place at low pressure.

• Reaction of sulfuryl chloride with calcium acetate produces acetyl chloride.

Hazards 

Acetyl chloride is a waste chemical stream constituent which may be subjected to ultimate disposal by controlled incineration. A potential candidate for liquid injection incineration at a temperture range of 650 to 1,600 deg C and a residence time 0.1 to 2 seconds. 

Acetyl chloride can severely irritate and burn the skin and eyes. exposures may cause a build-up of fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema), a medical emergency. DANGEROUS FIRE and EXPLOSION HAZARD. No occupational exposure limits have been established for Acetyl Chloride.