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  Home > JCE Print > Journal of Chemical Education > Issues > 1997  > July  >
In the Laboratory
Reduction of Chlorinated Dibenzodioxin and Dibenzofuran Formation in the Beilstein Test
Theodore D. Goldfarb and Sabine G. Fontana
Cover
July 1997
Vol. 74 No. 7
p. 838
Abstract
We have confirmed that significant amounts of the highly toxic polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs) may be formed under the conditions by which the Beilstein test for halogenated organic compounds is commonly employed in undergraduate laboratories. In this paper we describe the results of studies designed to increase the safety of the Beilstein test by minimizing the production of these toxins. Simple adjustments in Bunsen burner temperature and the length of time the copper test loop is exposed to the flame were found to be ineffective. Diluting test compounds (which should not be direct precursors of dioxins or furans) to concentrations as low as 5g/L in solvents like methanol or acetone was found to reduce PCDD/F formation by a factor of approximately 103, while still producing definitive test results. Triethanolamine was found to be an effective inhibitor. The addition of 0.5 mL of this compound to 10-mg test samples lowered the toxicity of the gaseous effluent by more than two orders of magnitude.
More Information
*  Citation
 Goldfarb, Theodore D.; Fontana, Sabine G. . J. Chem. Educ. 1997 74 838.
*  Keywords
 Organic Chemistry, Safety/Hazardous Materials, Laboratory Instruction, Qualitative Analysis
*  History
 Created:
Last Updated:		 July 28, 1999
June 23, 2005
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