Benzyl chloride

100-44-7

Dyes, intermediate.

Characteristic.

Lacrimator aromatic.

Threshold values:
0.25 mg/m3 = 0.047 ppm; 0.04 ppm (Hovious et al. 1973,
Verschueren 1983).

PIT50% (Population Identification Threshold): 0.01 ppm
PIT100 %: 0.047 ppm (Veschueren 1983).

126.59

Using the Henry's Law constant the volitilization half-life of
benzyl chloride from a model river 1 m deep flowing 1 m/sec,
with a wind velocity of 3 m/sec, can be estimated to be 0.3
days (Lyman et al. 1982).

Based upon the log octanol/water partition coefficient and the
water solubility, the soil sorption coefficient for benzyl
chloride can be estimated to range from 123 to 482 utilizing
various regression equations. 
These estimates indicate that
benzyl chloride will have medium to high mobility in soil
(Lyman et al. 1982) (Swann et al. 1983).

Photooxidation half-life in air:
9.1d - 22hr, based upon measured rate constant for vapor phase 
reaction with hydroxyl radicals in air (Howard 1991).

The atmospheric residence time of benzyl chloride due to
vapor-phase reaction with hydroxyl radicals, has been estimated
to be approx 3 days in a typical atmosphere containing 1x10+6
hydroxyl radicals/cm3. 
The rate constant for the reaction
between benzyl chloride and ozone in the atmosphere has been
determined to be less than 0.04x10-8 cm3/mol-sec, which
corresponds to ahalf-life >200 days in a typical atmosphere
(Atkinson 1982).

The aqueous hydrolysis rate constant for benzyl chloride has
been found to range from 0.042x10-5 sec-1 at 0.1°C to 1.38x10-5
sec-1at 25°C, which corresponds to half-lives of 19.1 and 0.58
days, respectively. 
The rate of aqueous hydrolysis has been
found to be independent of pH up to pH 13.0. 
The aqueous
hydrolysis products of benzyl chloride are benzyl alcohol and
hydrogen chloride (Albery & Curran 1972) (Tanabe & Sano 1962).

First-order hydrolysis half-life:
15hr, based upon overall rate constant (kh=1.28X10-5) at pH 7
and 25 °C.
12.1d, based upon overall rate constant (kh=3.98X10-5) at pH 7
and 5 °C (Howard 1991).

Acid rate constant (M(H+)-hr)-1:
kh=1.28X10-5, based upon overall rate constant that is 
independent of pH (Howard 1991).

Base rate constant (M(OH-)-hr)-1:
kh=1.28X10-5, based upon overall rate constant that is 
independent of pH (Howard 1991).

Aerobic half-life:
4w - 7d, scientific judgement based upon unacclimated aqueous 
screening test data (Howard 1991).

Anaerobic half-life:
16w - 4w, scientific judgement based upon estimated aqueous 
aerobic biodegradation half-life (Howard 1991).

Biodegradation:
71% by BOD
period: 14d
substance: 100 mg/l
sludge: 30 mg/l
(MITI 1992)

Biodegradability tests performed under the Japanese MITI
protocol have found benzyl chloride to be readly biodegradable.

Benzyl chloride biodegraded significantly with the formation of
dechlorinated products during a 2-day incubation period using
raw sewage and raw sewage acclimated to non-chlorinated
compounds. 
None of the methods have controls for chemicals
hydrolysis, so these result may be more indicative of the
biodegradation of the chemical hydrolysis product, benzyl
alcohol (Howard 1989).

Confirmed to be biodegradable (Anon. 1987).

Based upon the log octanol/water partition coefficient and the
water solubility, the bioconcentration factor for benzyl
chloride can be estimated to be 33 and 16, respectively. 
These
estimations suggest that bioconcentration in aquatic organisms
will not be significant (Lyman et al. 1982).

Mutagenicity in the Salmonella test: weakly mutagenic (without
liver homogenate):
0.02 revertant colonies/nmol;
230 revertant colonies at 2 mg/plate
(McCann et al. 1975)

Bacteria: Pseudomonas putida: inhibition of cell multiplication
starts at 4.8 mg/l (Bringmann & Kühn 1976).

Toxicity threshold (cell multiplication inhibition test):
algae (Microcystis aeruginosa): 30 mg/l
(Bringmann & Kühn 1976)
green algae (Scenedesmus quadricauda): 50 mg/l
protozoa (Entosiphon sulcatum): 25 mg/l
protozoa (Uronema parduczi): 50 mg/l
(Bringmann & Kühn 1980).

Protozoa: Vorticela campanula: toxic: 11 mg/l
          Paramaecium caudatum: toxic: 800 mg/l
Fish:     Trutta iridea: paralysis: 10 mg/l
          Cyprinus carpio: paralysis: 17 mg/l
          (Meinck et al. 1970).

Reduction of amenities: faint odour: 0.0016 mg/l
(Verschueren 1983).