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Chlorinated Hydrocarbons

The Future

Chlorinated hydrocarbons are incredibly useful in an astounding variety of products, making them an important part of modern life. Because they are environmentally persistent, new ways of cleaning up areas contaminated with chlorinated hydrocarbons are being developed. The term bioremediation refers to the use of living organisms to clean up chemically contaminated habitats. Currently, scientists are using genetic engineering to develop microorganisms that can degrade chlorinated hydrocarbons, and plants that can absorb them from contaminated soil. In this way, pollution with chlorinated hydrocarbons, and hydrocarbons in general, can be efficiently remedied.

The limited supply of fossil fuels is a threat to future industry because all of the uses of chlorinated hydrocarbons, including the wide array of polymers, depends on building-block monomer molecules extracted from crude oil and other carbon-based fossil fuels. Global oil and gas reserves are dwindling at the same time demand for their use is skyrocketing. One possibility to meet demand for chlorinated hydrocarbon products in the future might be the synthesis of organic molecules from coal, which is much more abundant than oil.


Resources

Books

Boyd, Richard H., and Paul J. Phillips, The Science of Polymer Molecules. Cambridge University Press, 1996.

Interrante, Leonard V. Chemistry of Advanced Materials: An Overview. Vch Publishing, 1997.

Johnson, Rebecca L. Investigating the Ozone Hole. Minneapolis, MN: Lerner Publishing, 1993.

Matthews, George. PVC: Production, Properties, and Uses. Institute of Materials, 1997.


Terry Watkins

KEY TERMS

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Chlorinated hydrocarbon

—An important class of organic molecules composed of carbon, hydrogen, and chlorine atoms chemically bonded to one another.

Chloroform

—A simple chlorinated hydrocarbon compound consisting of one carbon atom, one hydrogen atom, and three chlorine atoms. An important chemical, chloroform was widely used as a general anesthetic in the past.

DDT

—The chlorinated hydrocarbon, Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane. Once widely used an a potent insecticide, DDT use has been reduced due to its persistence in the environment over long periods of time.

Elastomer

—An organic polymer that has rubber-like, elastic qualities.

Monomer

—The repeating chemical unit of a polymer. Like cars in a train, monomers are chemically linked together to form long chains within a polymer.

Organic chemistry

—Chemistry dealing with carbon-containing molecules. Most molecules containing carbon are considered to be organic.

Polymer

—A large organic molecule consisting of a chain of smaller chemical units. Many plastic and rubber compounds are polymers.

PVC

—PVC, or polyvinylchloride, is an important chlorinated hydrocarbon polymer plastic used in thousands of everyday household and industrial products. PVC is, perhaps, best known for its use in water pipes.

Additional topics

Science EncyclopediaScience & Philosophy: Chimaeras to ClusterChlorinated Hydrocarbons - Organic Chemistry And Chlorinated Hydrocarbons, Chloroform And Carbon Tetrachloride: Simple Chlorinated Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated Hydrocarbon Polymers - Important complex chlorinated hydrocarbons