Chloroethane

Chloroethane, or ethyl chloride, is a colorless, flammable organochlorine compound with formula C₂H₅Cl. It is used chiefly as a chemical intermediate and was formerly applied as a local anesthetic spray.

Nucleophilic substitution: A reaction in which a nucleophile replaces a leaving group on an atom, commonly carbon. Chloroethane’s carbon–chlorine bond can be displaced in reactions that make other organic compounds.
Ethyl cellulose: A cellulose derivative in which some hydroxyl groups are replaced by ethyl groups. Chloroethane has been used to ethylate cellulose in the manufacture of this material.
Chloromethane: A colorless, flammable organochlorine gas with formula CH₃Cl. It is the one-carbon chlorinated alkane, unlike chloroethane’s two-carbon structure.
Flammability: The ability of a substance to ignite and sustain combustion under suitable conditions. Chloroethane’s flammable vapor creates fire and explosion hazards during storage and use.
Elimination reaction: A reaction that removes atoms or groups from a molecule, often forming a carbon–carbon double bond. Removing hydrogen chloride from chloroethane produces ethene.
Local anesthetic: A drug that temporarily blocks sensation in a limited area without causing unconsciousness. Chloroethane spray produced brief local numbness by rapidly cooling tissue.
1,1-Dichloroethane: A chlorinated ethane with two chlorine atoms attached to the same carbon. Replacing a hydrogen with another chlorine changes chloroethane’s properties and uses.
Occupational exposure limit: A regulatory or advisory concentration limit for workplace exposure to a hazardous substance. Workplace limits address inhalation exposure to chloroethane vapor.
Ethene: A two-carbon alkene with formula C₂H₄, used extensively as a chemical feedstock. Ethene is the product when chloroethane undergoes dehydrohalogenation.
Cryotherapy: The use of low temperatures to treat tissue or disease. Chloroethane’s cooling action linked its former spray use to cold-based treatments.

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