dichlorobenzene, any of three isomeric organohalogen compounds known as 1,2-, 1,3-, or 1,4-dichlorobenzene (also called ortho-, meta-, and para-dichlorobenzene, respectively). Both 1,2- and 1,3-dichlorobenzene are liquids. 1,2-Dichlorobenzene is used as a solvent, as an insecticide, and in the manufacture of other chemicals, particularly dyestuff intermediates. 1,4-Dichlorobenzene is a crystalline, volatile solid with a strong camphorlike odour and is widely used as a moth repellent. All three compounds are colourless, denser than water, and insoluble in water.
A mixture of the three dichlorobenzenes is produced by the chlorination of chlorobenzene or by the dichlorination of benzene in the presence of iron(III) chloride. The 1,4- isomer is the most easily isolated of the dichlorobenzenes and was first described in 1864; the 1,2- and 1,3- isomers were not recognized until 1875.