Chloramine-T
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Chloramine-T | |
|---|---|
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| IUPAC name | N-chloro 4-methylbenzenesulfonamide, sodium salt |
| Other names | N-chloro para-toluenesulfonylamide, sodium chloro[(4-methyl phenyl)sulfonyl]azanide, chloramine-T |
| Identifiers | |
| CAS number | [127-65-1] |
| Properties | |
| Molecular formula | C7H7ClNO2S·Na (3H2O) |
| Molar mass | 227.64 |
| Appearance | white powder |
| Density | 1.4 g/cm³ |
| Melting point |
releases chlorine at 130 °C |
| Solubility in water | 15% in water (25 °C) 7.5% in rectified spirit (20 °C) insoluble in benzene and ethers |
| Hazards | |
| Main hazards | Corrosive |
| R-phrases | 22-31-34-42 |
| S-phrases | (1/2-)-7-22-26-36/37/39-45 |
| Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C, 100 kPa) Infobox disclaimer and references |
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N-chloro tosylamide sodium salt, sold as chloramine-T, is a N-chlorinated and N-deprotonated sulfonamide used as a biocide and a mild disinfectant. It is a white powder that gives unstable solutions with water.
[edit] Chemistry
As a N-chloro compound, it contains active (electrophilic) chlorine and can be compared to the O-chlorinated sodium hypochlorite. Chloramine-T is nearly neutral (pH typically 8.5). In water, it breaks down to the disinfectant hypochlorite. It can be used as a source of electrophilic chlorine in organic synthesis.
The sulfur adjacent to the nitrogen can stabilize a nitrogen anion (R2N–), so that the N-chloro sulfonyamide moiety can be deprotonated at nitrogen even with only sodium hydroxide.
[edit] Use as a biocide
Chloramine-T is used for disinfection and as an algicide, bactericide, germicide, for parasite control, and for drinking water disinfection. The molecular structure of toluenesulfonylamide is similar to para-aminobenzoic acid, an intermediate in bacterial metabolism, which is disrupted by this sulfonamide (in the same way as by a sulfa drug). Therefore, chloramine-T is capable of inhibiting with bacterial growth with two mechanisms, with the phenylsulfonamide moiety and the electrophilic chlorine.
