Properties of Organics

Most compounds in which carbon is the key element are classified as organic. Common examples of organic compounds include degreasing solvents, lubricants, and heating and motor fuels. This subsection highlights some of the more common characteristics of organics as they relate to hazards. Various relevant classes of organics are presented in terms of chemical behavior and physical properties. In order to facilitate the discussion to follow, a few basic definitions will be presented first. 

Fire and Explosion Hazards Handbook of Industrial Chemicals 

Covalent — refers to a chemical bond in which there is an equal/even sharing of bonding electron pairs between atoms. This is typical of the bonding between carbon atoms and between carbon and hydrogen atoms in organic compounds. 

Hydrocarbons — chemical compounds consisting primarily of carbon and hydrogen. 

Aliphatic — organic compound widr the carbon backbone arranged in branched or straight chains (e.g., propane). 

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Lydersen, A.L. (1955), Estimation of critical properties of organic compounds by the method of group contributions . Uniu. Wisconsin Coll., Eng. Exp. Stn. report No. 4, Madison, Wl. 

Figure 7.13 reprinted with permission from Jorgensen W L, R C Binning Jr and B Bigot. Structures md Properties of Organic Liquids u-Butane and 1,2-Dichloroethane and Their Conformational Equilibria. The Journal of the American Chemical Society 103 4393-4399. 1981 American Chemical Society. 

C Binning Jr and B Bigot 1931. Structures and Properties of Organic Liquids n-Butane and 1,2-... 

Beilstein Handbook of Organic Chemistry. This reference (55) is one of the most significant collections of data in organic chemistry. The physical and chemical properties of organic compounds are tabulated in more than 500 fields. Most of these fields are searchable, and a sample of the record for chlorobenzene [108-90-7] is shown in Table 3. 

G. I. Stegeman and W. TormeUas, E/ectrica/, Optical, and Magnetic Properties of Organic Solid State Materials, Materials Research Society, Pittsburgh, 1994, pp. 397-412. 

M. Maeda, EaserDyes Properties of Organic CompoundsforDyeEaser, Academic Press, Inc., New York, 1984. 

A. L. Lydersen, Estimation of Critical Properties of Organic Compounds, Report 3, College Engineering Experiment Station, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis., Apr. 1955. 

Table 9. Physical Properties of Organic Tin Salts of Minor Commercial Importance...

Physical Properties. Data on physical properties of organic hypochlorites is limited. Some boiling points and densities of alkyl hypochlorites have been pubUshed as well as data on viscosity (259), uv spectra (8) and partition coefficients between CCl and water (260). The Hquid-phase equiUbria for... 

TABLE 2-2 Physical Properties of Organic Compounds iContinued)... 

G. J. Janz, TTiemodynamic Properties of Organic Compounds, Academic Press, New York, 1967 D. R. Stull, E, F. Westnim, Jr., and G. C. Sinke, The Chemical Thermodynamics of Organic Compounds, John Wiley Sons, New Yak, 1969 J. D. Cox and G. Pilcher, Thermochemistry of Organic and Organometallic Compouruls, Academic Press, New York, 1970 N. Cohen and S. W. Benson, Chem. Rev. 93 2419 (1993). 

G. Janz, Thermodynamic Properties of Organic Compounds, Academic Press, New btk, 1967. 

Table 2. Weighting Method for Estimating Critical Properties of Organics...

Designed to predict environmentally important properties of organic chemicals. Requires DEC VAX and IBM PC. 

Table 9. Properties of Organic Chemicals Found at Contaminated Sites.

R. Saito, M. Fujita, G, Dresselhaus, and M. S. Dresselhaus, In Electrical, Optical and Magnetic Properties of Organic Solid State Materials, MRS Symposia Proceedings, Boston. Edited by L. Y. Chiang, A. F. Garito, and D. J. Sandman, vol, 247, p. 333, Pittsburgh, PA, Materials Research Society Press (1992),... 

There is a growing interest in the non-linear optical (NLO) properties of organic materials. Organic and polymeric materials with large non-linear optical coefficients can be used in principle in optoelectronic and photonic devices, and a great deal of research effort has been expended in efforts to design new compounds with optimal NLO properties. 

Properties of organic solutions of heavy metal soaps. N. Pilpel, Chem. Rev., 1963, 63, 221-234... 

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