National Toxicology Program

Selected information from two of the National Library of Medicine's databases: ChemIDPlus¹ and HSDB².

Names (NTP)

• Naphthalene
• NAPTHENE

Structure

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Chemical Properties²

Property	Description
Color/Form	WHITE, CRYSTALLINE FLAKES OR SOLID WHITE SCALES, BALLS, POWDER OR CAKES MONOCLINIC PLATES FROM ALCOHOL Colorless to brown solid ...
Odor	Aromatic odor ... Odor of mothballs ...
Taste	None found
Boiling Point	217.9 deg C @ 760 mm Hg
Melting Point	80.2 deg C
Molecular Weight	128.17
Corrosivity	Melted naphthalene will attack some forms of plastics, rubber, and coatings.
Critical Temperature & Pressure	CRIT TEMP: 887.4 DEG F= 475.2 DEG C= 748.4 DEG K CRIT PRESSURE: 588 PSI= 40.0 ATM= 4.05 MEGANEWTONS/SQ M
Density/Specific Gravity	1.162 g/cu cm @ 20 deg C
Disassociation Constants	None found
Heat of Combustion	-16,720 BTU/LB= -9287 CAL/G= -388.8X10+5 JOULES/KG
Heat of Vaporization	43.5 kJ/mol
log P (octanol-water)	log Kow= 3.30
pH	None found
Solubilities	1 g/13 ml ethanol or methanol; 1 g/3.5 ml benzene or toluene; 1 g/8 ml olive oil or tupentine; 1 g/2 ml chloroform or carbon tetrachloride; 1 g/1.2 ml carbon disulfide. Very sol in ether, hydronaphthalenes, and in fixed and volatile oils. In water, 31 mg/l @ 25 deg C SOL IN ETHYLENE DICHLORIDE
Spectral Properties	MAX ABSORPTION (ALCOHOL): 221 NM (LOG E= 5.04); 275.5 NM (LOG E= 3.76); 286 NM (LOG E= 3.59); 311 NM (LOG E= 2.38) SADTLER REF NUMBER: 865 (IR, PRISM): 169 (IR, GRATING) Ultraviolet absorption: several characteristic bands between 217.5 and 320 nm in hexane Purple fluorescence in Hg light (petroleum ether soln) Index of refraction: 1.58212 at 100 deg C/D Index of refraction: 1.4003 @ 24 deg C/D Intense mass spectral peaks: 128 m/z (100%), 51 m/z (13%), 129 m/z (11%), 64 m/z (11%) IR: 5547 (Coblentz Society Spectral Collection) UV: 265 (Sadtler Research Laboratories Spectral Collection) NMR: 62 (Sadtler Research Laboratories Prism Collection) MASS: 2250 (Atlas of Mass Spectral Data, John Wiley & Sons, New York)
Surface Tension	LIQUID SURFACE TENSION: 31.8 DYNES/CM= 0.0318 NEWTONS/M AT 100 DEG C
Vapor Density	4.42 (Air = 1)
Vapor Pressure	0.085 mm Hg @ 25 deg C
Relative Evaporation Rate	Much less than 1. (Butyl acetate= 1)
Viscosity	0.96 cP @ 80.3 deg C
Other Properties	Sublimes appreciably at temp above melting point Naphthalene carries two nonequivalent sets of hydrogen atoms. Therefore, two isomers of every monosubstituted naphthalene are known. Triple point, deg C: 80.28. Heat of fusion at triple point, kJ/mol: 18.979. Heat capacity (at 15.5 deg C and 101.3 kPa), J/(molxK): 159.28. Heat of formation (at 25 deg C), kJ/mol: Solid: 78.53; gas: 150.58. Henry's Law constant = 4.4X10-4 atm-cu m/mole @ 25 deg C Hydroxyl radical reaction rate constant = 2.16X10-11 cu cm/molecule-sec @ 25 deg C

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Uses²

• For naphthalene (USEPA/OPP Pesticide Code: 055801) active products with label matches. /SRP: Registered for use in the U.S. but approved pesticide uses may change periodically and so federal, state and local authorities must be consulted for currently approved uses./
  
• MFR OF PHTHALIC & ANTHRANILIC ACIDS, ...HYDROXYL (NAPHTHOLS), ...AMINO (NAPHTHYLAMINES), SULFONIC ACID, ... SYNTHETIC RESINS, CELLULOID, LAMPBLACK, SMOKELESS POWDER, ... HYDRONAPHTHALENES.
  
• Is used in the preparation of anthraquinone.
  
• Is used for the manufacturing of indigo.
  
• Is used in the formation of perylene via the intermolecular Scholl reaction.
  
• A high yielding (98%) process from the oxidn by microrganisms, has been developed in Japan for the production of salicylic acid from naphthalene.
  
• CHEM INT FOR PHTHALIC ANHYDRIDE **PEER REVIEWED**
  
• CHEM INT FOR 1-NAPHTHYL-N-METHYLCARBAMATE INSECTICIDE **PEER REVIEWED**
  
• CHEM INT FOR BETA-NAPHTHOL & SYNTHETIC TANNING CHEMS **PEER REVIEWED**
  
• CHEM INT FOR SURFACTANTS-EG, NAPHTHALENE SULFONATES **PEER REVIEWED**
  
• CHEM INT FOR 1-NAPHTHYLAMINE (FORMER USE) **PEER REVIEWED**
  
• MEDICIATION (VET) **PEER REVIEWED**
  
• Ingredient of some moth repellants and toilet bowl deodorants.
  
• Sulfonation of naphthalene with sulfuric acid produces mono-, di-, tri-, and tetranaphthalenesulfuric acids.
  
• Wood preservative. /Former use/
  
• Greenhouse fumigant for gladiolus thrips.
  
• Medication
  
• Used in the production of plastics and vulcanizates.
  

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Superlist Classes¹

• Reportable Quantity (RQ) = 100 lb
  
• TWA 10 ppm (50 mg/m3)
  
• TWA (10 ppm); STEL (15 ppm); Not classifiable as a human carcinogen
  
• 2007 CERCLA Priority List, Rank: 78
  

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Notes (Sources: NTP,HSDB,RTECS,MESH)¹

• None found

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Other Registry Numbers¹

• 72931-45-4
  

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Synonyms (Sources: NTP, HSDB,RTECS,MESH)¹

• Albocarbon
• Camphor tar
• Dezodorator
• HSDB 184
• Mighty 150
• Mighty RD1
• Moth balls
• Moth flakes
• Naphthalin
• Naphthaline
• Naphthene
• NCI-C52904
• RCRA waste number U165
• Tar camphor
• White tar

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Links to Additional Information¹

• CCRIS
• DART
• DrugPortal
• EINECS
• EMIC
• GENETOX
• Haz-Map
• Household Products
• HSDB
• IRIS
• ITER
• MedlinePlusAll
• MeSH
• PubChem
• PubMed AIDS
• PubMed Cancer
• PubMed Toxicology
• PubMed
• TOXLINE
• TOXMAP
• TRI2000
• TRI2001
• TRI2002
• TRI2003
• TRI2004
• TRI2005
• TRI95
• TRI96
• TRI97
• TRI98
• TRI99
• WebWISER
• TRI2006
• TRI2007
• TRI2007

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Footnotes

¹ Source: the National Library of Medicine's ChemIDPlus, 05/28/2009.

² Source: the National Library of Medicine's Hazardous Substance Database, 10/28/2007.