FURAN

PRODUCT IDENTIFICATION
CAS NO. 110-00-9

FURAN
EINECS NO. 203-727-3
FORMULA C4H4O
MOL WT. 68.08
H.S. CODE

TOXICITY

 Oral rat LD50: 890 mg/kg
SYNONYMS Furfuran; Oxacyclopentadiene; Oxole; Tetrole; Furane;
Divinylene oxide; Furano (Spanish); Furanne (French); Furfurane;

SMILES

 

CLASSIFICATION

 

PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES
PHYSICAL STATE Clear, mobile liquid, ether like odor
MELTING POINT -85 C
BOILING POINT 31 - 32 C
SPECIFIC GRAVITY 0.935 - 0.942
SOLUBILITY IN WATER Insoluble
pH
VAPOR DENSITY 2.3
AUTOIGNITION

360 C
NFPA RATINGS Health: 1; Flammability: 4; Reactivity: 1

REFRACTIVE INDEX

 1.420 - 1.423
FLASH POINT

-35 C
STABILITY May form peroxides in the absence of inhibitors. Light sensitive

GENERAL DESCRIPTION & APPLICATIONS
Furan; One of a class of heterocyclic aromatic compounds characterized by five-membered ring structure consisting of four CH2 groups and one oxygen atom. The simplest furan compound is furan itself; a clear, volatile  and mildly toxic liquid; melts at -86 C, boils at 32 C, insoluble in water, soluble in alcohol and ether. In the absence of inhibitors, it may form peroxides and and accumulate peroxides which may explode when subjected to heat or shock. It may discolor on exposure to air. This material is hazardous when peroxide levels are concentrated by distillation or evaporation. It can be stabilized with BHT. It can be obtained from wood oils. It is used as a solvent as well as in the synthesis of furfural and other organic compounds. It is converted to more important solvent, tetrahydrofuran by hydrogenation. Niitro-substituted furan derivatives are used as biocides or fungicides to inhibit bacterial growth. Sulfur-substituted furan derivatives are used as flavouring agents.  Furfural (Furfuraldehyde), a derivative of furan, is a viscous, colorless liquid that has a pleasant aromatic odor; upon exposure to air it turns dark brown or black; boils at about 160 C; soluble in ethanol, ether and somewhat in water. It is commonly used as a solvent. Furfural is the aldehyde of pyromucic acid; it has properties similar to those of benzaldehyde. It is prepared commercially by dehydration of pentose sugars obtained from cornstalks and corncobs, husks of oat and peanut, and other waste products. The major application of furfural is being use as a feedstock for furfuryl alcohol. The most commercial quantity of furfuryl alcohol is used in the production of thermosetting furan resin and furan cement, strong adhesive, in which the furan ring is an integral part of the polymer chain providing highly resistance to chemicals.  Furfural is used as a solvent for refining lubricating oils and butadiene extraction. It is used as a fungicide and weed killer. It is used in the production of tetrahydrofuran (THF), saturated form of furan. THF is one of the most polar ethers. It is used as an important industrial solvent recognized for its unique combination of useful properties. It is a colorless, volatile cycloaliphatic (5-membered) ether with a characteristic odor; boiling point at 66 C; soluble in water and organic solvents. THF is unstable at room temperature due to possibility of peroxide formation; stabilized sometimes with BHT. Its unhindered oxygen atom carries two unshared pairs of electrons - a structure which favors the formation of coordination complexes and the solvation of cations. THF is made also by eliminating water from 1,4-butanediol. THF is used as an useful chemical intermediate especially as a starting materials for the preparation of nylon.
SALES SPECIFICATION

APPEARANCE

 Clear to yellowish liquid

PURITY

99.5% min

ORGANIC IMPURITY

0.5% max

STABILIZER

30ppm (BHT)
SPECIFIC GRAVITY 0.935 - 0.942

WATER

0.2% max

COLOR (APHA)

20 max
TRANSPORTATION
PACKING 170kgs in drum
HAZARD CLASS 3 (Packing Group: I)
UN NO. 2389
OTHER INFORMATION
Hazard Symbols: F+ T, Risk Phrases: 45-12-19-20/22-38-48/22-52/53-68, Safety Phrases: 53-45-61
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF CYCLIC ETHER

Cyclic ethers have ring structure where the oxygen has become part of the ring. The term of epoxide indicate three membered cyclic ether (also called oxirane); four membered cyclic ether is called oxetane; five membered cyclic ether, furan (or oxolane); six membered cyclic ether, pyran (also called oxane) respectively. Their unhindered oxygen atom carries two unshared pairs of electrons - a structure which favors the formation of coordination complexes and the solvation of cations. Cyclic ethers are used as important solvents, as chemical intermediate and as monomer for ring-opening polymerization.