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From: Elizabeth Gregory <egregory**At_Symbol_Here**BROCKPORT.EDU>
Subject: Toluene? A peroxide former?!
Date: Jul 9, 2007 20:03 UTC
Reply-To:
Elizabeth Gregory
In-Reply-To:
Hi everyone, Our department finally opened up a 5 gallon metal drum of toluene earlier this summer. The drum is somewhere between 6 and 20 years old (you can imagine why I wanted to see it used up...). After a couple of days of "what the %**At_Symbol_Here**&# is this reaction by-product?!", we've finally figured out that the toluene itself has the following impurities: benzaldehyde, benzyl alcohol, and benzyl hydroperoxide(!!!). The total concentration of these impurities is about 240 mg/L of solution. Has anyone ever heard of toluene forming these products while it's left sitting around unopened? This is a new one, both to me and our resident organic chemist. Elizabeth Gregory Laboratory Manager Department of Chemistry SUNY College at Brockport Room 230 Smith Hall Brockport, NY 14420 (585) 395-2210 Fax: (585) 395-5805 Email: egregory**At_Symbol_Here**brockport.edu