Bromoform, CAS 75-25-2

Bromoform is a colorless to pale yellow liquid with a high refractive index, very high density, and sweetish odor is similar to that of chloroform. It is slightly soluble in water and is nonflammable. Bromoform can form in drinking water as a by-product from the reaction of chlorine with dissolved organic matter and bromide ions.

Bromoform (CHBr3) is a brominated organic solvent, pale yellow liquid at room temperature, with a high refractive index, very high density, and sweet odor is similar to that of chloroform. It is a trihalomethane, and is one of the four haloforms, the others being fluoroform, chloroform, and iodoform. Bromoform can be prepared by the haloform reaction using acetone and sodium hypobromite, by the electrolysis of potassium bromide in ethanol, or by treating chloroform with aluminum bromide. Currently its main use is as a laboratory reagent.

BromoformUse and Manufacturing

Methods of Manufacturing

From the reaction of acetone and sodium hypobromite. First prepare sodium hypobromite with bromine and lye. Under alkaline conditions, quickly add acetone to sodium hypobromite at 0-5℃ to keep the temperature at 30-50℃. After the temperature drops, continue to stir 10min. Acetone reacts with sodium hypobromite to decompose to bromoform via tribromoacetone. After standing for layering, distillation, washing, filtering and drying, the finished product can be obtained. Raw material consumption quota: 650kg/t of acetone and 3500kg/t of bromine.

Uses

In separating mixtures of minerals. Bromoform is used as a fluid for mineral ore separation in geological tests, as a laboratory reagent, and in the electronics industry in quality assurance programs. Bromoform was formerly used as a solvent for waxes, greases, and oils, as an ingredient in fire-resistant chemicals and in fluid gauges. It was also used in the early part of this century as a medicine to help children with whooping cough get to sleep. Currently, bromoform is only produced in small amounts for use in laboratories and in geological and electronics testing.