o-Xylene and m-Xylene

o-Xylene (Ortho-Xylene) is an aromatic hydrocarbon with the formula C6H4 (CH3) 2, which is mainly extracted from crude oil. Ortho-Xylene is the same xylene with methyl groups in its 1 and 2 positions. Xylene is a colorless and flammable liquid with a sweet smell that exists in the form of 3 isomers of Meta, Ortho, and Para-Xylene. o-Xylene is the second functional isomer of xylene used to make PVC plastic. Industrial xylene is not only used as a solvent and additive in the rubber and coatings industry, but also as an additive in aviation fuel.

The Ortho, Meta, and Para-Xylene isomers isolated from this compound are phthalic acid, isophthalic acid, and terephthalate acid, respectively. Phthalic acid and terephthalic acid are used in the production of plastics, polyester resins, and polyester fibers.

Petroleum contains about 1% xylene, and most Ortho-Xylene is produced by petroleum cracking. The net production of this material in 2019 was about 500,000 tons.

o-Xylene is originally produced from coal, but currently, most of its domestic and foreign production is mainly done through modified catalytic extraction of oil and the thermal cracking of aromatic hydrocarbons.

 

Applications of o-Xylene

o-Xylene is the second commercial isomer of xylene, and almost all of it is used in the manufacture of phthalic anhydride (PA), which has three main uses, including the use in the manufacture of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resins, the production of unsaturated polyester resins (UPRs). and making alkyl resins that are used for surface coatings.

Ortho-Xylene in industrial xylene has a difference of more than 5.2 degrees Celsius from other isomers, and this substance can be obtained with a purity of 95% by careful distillation. Its further processing using sulfonation and distillation for purification can give us a substance with greater purity.

This compound is an inexpensive raw material for the production of phthalic anhydride, which has a high yield potential and is used as a precursor to many products, drugs, and other chemicals.

This compound is mainly used as a chemical raw material and solvent, and it can be used to produce dyes, pesticides, drugs, vitamins, and as chromatography standards.

o-Xylene is the raw material for the production of pheniramine microbicide, tetrachlorophenyl peptide, and benzofuran methyl herbicide. This material is used as an intermediate for the production of O-methyl benzoic acid.

 

Safety information Ortho Xylene

Exposure to xylene and its isomers occurs through inhalation, ingestion, and eye or skin contact. It is primarily metabolized by the oxidation of a methyl group and its combination with glycine in the liver to yield methyl hippuric acid, which is excreted in the urine. Smaller amounts of this substance are also excreted unchanged in exhaled air, so there is little potential for accumulation in the body.

The main effect of inhaling xylene vapor is to reduce the activity of the central nervous system, which causes symptoms such as headache, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting. The effects mentioned begin with a surface exposure of about 100 ppm. These side effects are reversible and become more significant and serious with increasing duration of exposure.

Note that xylene vapors are flammable, so ensure proper ventilation while working with this substance.

 

Meta Xylene

m-Xylene (Meta-Xylene) is an aromatic hydrocarbon. This substance is one of the three isomers of dimethyl benzene, which is collectively known as xylene. The letter m- stands for meta-, which indicates that the two methyl groups in m-Xylene occupy the 1 and 3 positions of the benzene ring. In the position of two methyl groups, their arene substitution pattern is different from other isomers, Ortho-Xylene, and Para-Xylene. All have the same chemical formula C6H4(CH3)2. All xylene isomers are colorless and highly flammable.

The oil contains about 1% xylene. The most common use of meta-xylene is in the production of isophthalic acid, which is used as a copolymerizing monomer to change the properties of polyethylene terephthalate. Conversion of m-Xylene to isophthalic acid requires catalytic oxidation. Meta-Xylene is also used as a starting material in the production of 2, 4-xylene, and 2,6-xylene, as well as a wide range of chemicals with lower volume, and gives isophthalonitrile oxidation.

 

 

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