Properties: Volatile, forms toxic concentrations at room temperature. Slightly soluble in water and mixes with most organic solvents.

Properties: Volatile, forms toxic concentrations at room temperature. Slightly soluble in water and mixes with most organic solvents. Commercially produced by direct chlorination of methane and methyl chloride. Stable under normal conditions.

Uses: Used as a cleaning agent for bottle washing in the pharmaceutical industry. Also used in the rubber, metal, and textile industries. Methylene chloride is an important solvent in paint and varnish strippers and degreasers. Used in the production of photographic films, synthetic fibers, pharmaceuticals, adhesives, and inks. In aerosol applications, it is used for vapor pressure suppression, as a general cleaning solvent, as a foam blowing agent for flexible polyurethane foams, as a propellant in insecticides, and in air fresheners and paints.