Propylene chlorohydrin usually refers to the

organic compound In chemistry, organic compounds are generally any chemical compounds that contain carbon-hydrogen or carbon-carbon bonds. Due to carbon's ability to catenate (form chains with other carbon atoms), millions of organic compounds are known. The ...

with the formula CH₃CH(OH)CH₂Cl. A related compound, an

isomer In chemistry, isomers are molecules or polyatomic ions with identical molecular formulae – that is, same number of atoms of each element – but distinct arrangements of atoms in space. Isomerism is existence or possibility of isomers. Iso ...

, is CH₃CH(Cl)CH₂OH. Both isomers are colorless liquids that are soluble in organic solvents. They are classified as

chlorohydrin In organic chemistry a halohydrin (also a haloalcohol or β-halo alcohol) is a functional group in which a halogen and a hydroxyl are bonded to adjacent carbon atoms, which otherwise bear only hydrogen or hydrocarbyl groups (e.g. 2-chloroethanol, ...

s. Both are generated on a large scale as intermediates in the production of

propylene oxide Propylene oxide is an acutely toxic and carcinogenic organic compound with the molecular formula CH3CHCH2O. This colourless volatile liquid with an odour similar to ether, is produced on a large scale industrially. Its major application is its us ...

.Gordon Y. T. Liu, W. Frank Richey, Joanne E. Betso, Brian Hughes, Joanna Klapacz, and Joerg Lindner "Chlorohydrins" in Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry, 2014, Wiley-VCH, Weinheim. {{doi, 10.1002/14356007.a06_565.pub2 The reaction of aqueous solution of

chlorine Chlorine is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Cl and atomic number 17. The second-lightest of the halogens, it appears between fluorine and bromine in the periodic table and its properties are mostly intermediate betwee ...

with

propene Propylene, also known as propene, is an unsaturated organic compound with the chemical formula CH3CH=CH2. It has one double bond, and is the second simplest member of the alkene class of hydrocarbons. It is a colorless gas with a faint petrole ...

gives a 10:1 ratio of CH₃CH(OH)CH₂Cl and CH₃CH(Cl)CH₂OH. These compounds are treated with lime to give propylene oxide, which is useful in the production of plastics and other polymers.

References

Organochlorides Commodity chemicals