Abstract
This study investigated the extent to which methyl chloroform undergoes thermal decomposition to form vinylidene chloride. The experiment was conducted under laboratory conditions that approximate those found in industrial environments. Methyl chloroform vapors at approximately the TLV concentration of 1910 mg/m3 were passed through a heated quartz tube packed with glass or copper beads. In the presence of glass, the decomposition reaction began at 350° C and was essentially complete at 605° C. Vinylidene chloride was detected in nearly stoichiometric amounts. In the presence of copper, the reaction occurred initially at 180° C. At 442° C no methyl chloroform was detected. Once again, the conversion to vinylidene chloride was nearly complete. Two major conclusions have been derived from this study. First, under these experimental conditions, methyl chloroform undergoes thermal decomposition to yield substantial quantities of vinylidene chloride. Second, the dehydrohalogenation reaction proceeds at much lower temperatures in the presence of copper.