What is tetrahydronaphthalene?
Tetrahydronaphthalene is an aromatic hydrocarbon liquid, also known as “tetralin”.
As you can see from the fact that the name contains the word “naphthalene”, it has a structure very similar to “naphthalene”, which is also famous as an insect repellent.
Naphthalene has a structure in which two benzene rings share one side, but tetrahydronaphthalene has a structure in which one of the two rings is hydrogenated and saturated.
During production, naphthalene is made by adding hydrogen to the double bond under a platinum catalyst.
Characteristics and uses of tetrahydronaphthalene
Tetrahydronaphthalene dissolves well in other organic solvents, so it is used as a solvent for paints, rubbers, and adhesives.
It also has a high ability to dissolve in oil, making it ideal for cleaning oils and fats such as machine parts.
In particular, tetrahydronaphthalene has a large penetrating power and is good at cleaning fine parts that are difficult to clean with ordinary solvents.
In addition, it is also used as a reaction solvent when making pharmaceutical intermediates.
About toxicity
As mentioned above, “naphthalene” is specified in Ordinance on Prevention of Hazards Due to Specified Chemical Substances,
but tetrahydronaphthalene has low toxicity and does not fall under the ordinance.
Therefore, it is expected to play an active role as a substitute solvent for other organic solvents such as highly harmful toluene, xylene, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, MEK, and acetone.
Related article
About Ordinance on Prevention of Hazards Due to Specified Chemical Substances
