Chloroform

Uses

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, chloroform was used as an inhaled anesthetic during surgery. However, safer, more flexible drugs have entirely replaced it in this role. The major use of chloroform today is in the production of the freon refrigerant R-22. However, as the Montreal Protocol takes effect, this use can be expected to decline as R-22 is replaced by refrigerants that are less liable to result in ozone depletion.

Related Topics:
Anesthetic - Freon - R-22 - Montreal Protocol - Ozone depletion

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Smaller amounts of chloroform are used as a solvent in the pharmaceutical industry, and for producing dyes and pesticides. As a solvent it can be used to glue perspex.

Related Topics:
Solvent - Pharmaceutical - Dye - Pesticide - Glue - Perspex

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Chloroform reacts with aqueous sodium hydroxide (preferably in the presence of a phase transfer catalyst) to produce dichlorocarbene. This is used to effect ortho-formylation of activated aromatic rings such as phenols, producing aryl aldehydes in a reaction known as the Reimer-Tiemann reaction. Alternatively the carbene may be trapped by an alkene to form a cyclopropane derivative.

Related Topics:
Sodium hydroxide - Phase transfer catalyst - Dichlorocarbene - Aromatic rings - Phenols - Aldehyde - Alkene - Cyclopropane

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Chloroform containing deuterium (heavy hydrogen), CDCl3, is the most common solvent used in NMR spectroscopy.

Related Topics:
Deuterium - NMR spectroscopy

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