Tetrachloroethylene oxide, perchloroethylene oxide (PCEO) or tetrachlorooxirane, is the perchlorinated analogue of

ethylene oxide Ethylene oxide is an organic compound with the chemical formula, formula . It is a cyclic ether and the simplest epoxide: a three-membered ring (chemistry), ring consisting of one oxygen atom and two carbon atoms. Ethylene oxide is a colorless ...

and a proposed metabolite of

tetrachloroethylene Tetrachloroethylene, also known as perchloroethylene or under the systematic name tetrachloroethene, and abbreviations such as perc (or PERC), and PCE, is a chlorocarbon with the formula . It is a non-flammable, stable, colorless and heavy liqu ...

. It is a halogenated

epoxide In organic chemistry, an epoxide is a cyclic ether, where the ether forms a three-atom ring: two atoms of carbon and one atom of oxygen. This triangular structure has substantial ring strain, making epoxides highly reactive, more so than other ...

with the formula . Tetrachloroethylene oxide is fairly stable but rearranges to trichloroacetyl chloride at higher temperatures.

Production

Tetrachloroethylene oxide was first synthesised by the English chemist Frederick William Kirkbride in 1940, by exposing a mixture of oxygen and chlorine in tetrachloroethylene to UV light. Tetrachloroethylene oxide can be obtained by the direct oxidation of tetrachloroethylene under

UV light Ultraviolet radiation, also known as simply UV, is electromagnetic radiation of wavelengths of 10–400 nanometers, shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays. UV radiation is present in sunlight and constitutes about 10% of t ...

Reactions

Unlike most

s, PCEO does not polymerise. PCEO reacts with

methanol Methanol (also called methyl alcohol and wood spirit, amongst other names) is an organic chemical compound and the simplest aliphatic Alcohol (chemistry), alcohol, with the chemical formula (a methyl group linked to a hydroxyl group, often ab ...

, with

mercury(II) chloride Mercury(II) chloride (mercury bichloride, mercury dichloride, mercuric chloride), historically also sulema or corrosive sublimate, is the inorganic chemical compound of mercury and chlorine with the formula HgCl2, used as a laboratory reagent. ...

as the

catalyst Catalysis () is the increase in rate of a chemical reaction due to an added substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed by the reaction and remain unchanged after it. If the reaction is rapid and the catalyst recycles quick ...

, giving methyl trichloroacetate and

hydrogen chloride The Chemical compound, compound hydrogen chloride has the chemical formula and as such is a hydrogen halide. At room temperature, it is a colorless gas, which forms white fumes of hydrochloric acid upon contact with atmospheric water vapor. Hyd ...

: : PCEO reacts with methanolic

potassium hydroxide Potassium hydroxide is an inorganic compound with the formula K OH, and is commonly called caustic potash. Along with sodium hydroxide (NaOH), KOH is a prototypical strong base. It has many industrial and niche applications, most of which utili ...

to give

potassium oxalate Oxalate (systematic IUPAC name: ethanedioate) is an anion with the chemical formula . This dianion is colorless. It occurs naturally, including in some foods. It forms a variety of salts, for example sodium oxalate (), and several esters such as ...

. It is slowly decomposed by dilute acid or base solutions, giving off

carbon monoxide Carbon monoxide (chemical formula CO) is a poisonous, flammable gas that is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and slightly less dense than air. Carbon monoxide consists of one carbon atom and one oxygen atom connected by a triple bond. It is the si ...

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalent bond, covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in a gas state at room temperature and at norma ...

and hydrogen chloride which was possibly from the further decomposition of the intermediate

oxalyl chloride Oxalyl chloride is an organic chemical compound with the formula . This colorless, sharp-smelling liquid, the diacyl chloride of oxalic acid, is a useful reagent in organic synthesis. Preparation Oxalyl chloride was first prepared in 1892 by the ...

Metabolism

Tetrachloroethylene oxide (PCEO) is a short-living metabolite of tetrachloroethylene. Unlike most epoxide metabolites, PCEO does not exhibit

mutagenic In genetics, a mutagen is a physical or chemical agent that permanently changes genetic material, usually DNA, in an organism and thus increases the frequency of mutations above the natural background level. As many mutations can cause cancer in ...

carcinogenic A carcinogen () is any agent that promotes the development of cancer. Carcinogens can include synthetic chemicals, naturally occurring substances, physical agents such as ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, and Biological agent, biologic agent ...

effects. It is metabolised to trichloroacetyl chloride which is hydrolysed to

trichloroacetic acid Trichloroacetic acid (TCA; TCAA; also known as trichloroethanoic acid) is an analogue of acetic acid in which the three hydrogen atoms of the methyl group have all been replaced by chlorine atoms. Salts and esters of trichloroacetic acid are cal ...

.Testa, B., Mayer, J. M. (2003). Hydrolysis in Drug and Prodrug Metabolism. page 633

References

{{Reflist epoxides Organochlorides

Production

Reactions

Metabolism

See also

References