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methylene chloride
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methylene chloride

chemical compound
Also known as: dichloromethane, methylene dichloride
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Also called:
dichloromethane
Related Topics:
vinylic halide
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methylene chloride, a colourless, volatile, practically nonflammable liquid belonging to the family of organic halogen compounds. It is extensively used as a solvent, especially in paint-stripping formulations.

Methylene chloride is commercially produced along with methyl chloride, chloroform, and carbon tetrachloride by the chlorination of methane. It boils at 40° C (104° F) at atmospheric pressure; it is denser than water and very slightly soluble in it. It is an effective solvent for fats, oils, greases, and many polymeric substances; its use is favoured by low toxicity, low flammability, high stability, and ease of recovery for reuse.

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solvent
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solvent

chemistry
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solvent, substance, ordinarily a liquid, in which other materials dissolve to form a solution. Polar solvents (e.g., water) favour formation of ions; nonpolar ones (e.g., hydrocarbons) do not. Solvents may be predominantly acidic, predominantly basic, amphoteric (both), or aprotic (neither). Organic compounds used as solvents include aromatic compounds and other hydrocarbons, alcohols, esters, ethers, ketones, amines, and nitrated and halogenated hydrocarbons. Their chief uses are as media for chemical syntheses, as industrial cleaners, in extractive processes, in pharmaceuticals, in inks, and in paints, varnishes, and lacquers.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Adam Augustyn.
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