Benzene hexachloride isomers separation

That benzene hexachloride isomer mixture is then the raw material for lindane production. The production of lindane per se is not a chemical synthesis operation but a physical separation process. It is possible to influence the gamma isomer content of benzene hexachloride to an extent during the synthesis process. Basically, however, one is faced with the problem of separating a 99%-plus purity gamma isomer from a crude product containing perhaps 12 to 15% of the gamma isomer. The separation and concentration process is done by a carefully controlled solvent extraction and crystallization process. One such process is described by R.D. Donaldson et al. Another description of hexachlorocyclohexane isomer separation is given by R.H. Kimball. 

Chlorine and bromine add to benzene in the absence of oxygen and presence of light to yield hexachloro- [27154-44-5] and hexabromocyclohexane [30105-41-0] CgHgBr. Technical benzene hexachloride is produced by either batch or continuous methods at 15—25°C in glass reactors. Five stereoisomers are produced in the reaction and these are separated by fractional crystallization. The gamma isomer (BHC), which composes 12—14% of the reaction product, was formerly used as an insecticide. Benzene hexachloride [608-73-17, C HgCl, is converted into hexachlorobenzene [118-74-17, C Clg, upon reaction with ferric chloride in chlorobenzene solution. 

Particularly the chlorinated compounds have enjoyed range of applications vinyl chloride (chloro-ethene) as monomer for the production of PVC, tetra- and trichloroethenes as solvents for degreasing, and the insecticides l,l,l-trichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethane (DDT) and isomers of hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) (benzene hexachloride). The biodegradation of fluorinated aliphatic compounds is generally different from the outlines that have emerged from investigations on their chlorinated, brominated, and even iodinated analogues. They are therefore treated separately in Part 4 of this chapter. 

Partition chromatography, developed by Martin and Synge (3) for the separation of amino acid derivatives, was employed by Ramsey and Patterson (4) for the separation of isomers of benzene hexachloride (1,2,3,4,5,6-hexachlorocyclohexane) in the technical product. The work of Ramsey and Patterson was extended by Aepli, Munter, and Gall... 

In thTs paper ftie advantages of HPTLC pre-coated plates silica gel 60 (E. Merck, Darmstadt) as compared with TLC pre-coated plates silica gel 60 (E. Merck, Darmstadt), are presented in the separation of benzene hexachloride (BHC) isomers. 

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