p-Terphenyl

1.23 (NIOSH, 2024) - Denser than water; will sink

1.234 AT 0 °C

1.234 @25 °C

1.23

COLORLESS OR LIGHT-YELLOW SOLID

White or light-yellow solid.

Insoluble (NIOSH, 2024)

SOL IN BENZENE & ETHANOL (ORDER OF SOLUBILITY IN THESE SUBSTANCES DECR FROM ORTHO TO PARA FORM)

Sparingly soluble in lower alcohols and glycols; soluble in common aromatic solvents.

Water solubility = 1.79X10-2 mg/l at 25 °C

Insoluble

405 °F (NIOSH, 2024)

405 °F

405 °F

405 °F

761 °F at 760 mmHg (NIOSH, 2024)

376 °C

761 °F

415 °F (NIOSH, 2024)

210.1 °C

Crumbly, wax-like flakes at room temperature and light amber liquids above the melting point /Commercial terphenyl mixtures/

415 °F

Very low (NIOSH, 2024)

0.00000034 [mmHg]

Very low

P-terphenyl appears as white or light-yellow needles or leaves. mp: 212-213 °C, bp 376 °C. Density: 1.23 g/cm3. Insoluble in water. Soluble in hot benzene. Very soluble in hot ethyl alcohol. Usually shipped as a solid mixture with its isomers o-terphenyl and m-terphenyl that is used as a heat-transfer fluid.

White or light-yellow solid; [NIOSH]

White or light-yellow solid.

This chemical does not meet GHS hazard criteria for 6.5% (4 of 62) of reports.

Warning

H315 (77.4%): Causes skin irritation [Warning Skin corrosion/irritation]

P261, P264, P264+P265, P271, P273, P280, P302+P352, P304+P340, P305+P351+P338, P319, P321, P332+P317, P337+P317, P362+P364, P391, P403+P233, P405, and P501 (click each P-code to see the statement)

Aggregated GHS information provided per 62 reports by companies from 9 notifications to the ECHA C&L Inventory. Each notification may be associated with multiple companies.

Chemical: 1,1':4',1''-Terphenyl

1,1':4',1''-Terphenyl: Does not have an individual approval but may be used under an appropriate group standard

p-Terphenyl caused kidney injury in subchronic feeding studies in rats. Workers complained of eye and respiratory irritation after inhaling vapors of heated terphenyls. The TLV Basis for Terphenyls is upper respiratory tract and eye irritation; [ACGIH] A skin, eye, and respiratory tract irritant; [CAMEO]

Permissible Exposure Limit: Table Z-1 Ceiling value: 1 ppm (9 mg/cu m). /Terphenyls/

Vacated 1989 OSHA PEL Ceiling limit 5 mg/cu m (0.5 ppm) is still enforced in some states. /Terphenyl (o-, m-, p- isomers)/

Excerpt from NIOSH Pocket Guide for p-Terphenyl:

(General first aid procedures)

1) REMOVE ALL IGNITION SOURCES. 2) VENTILATE AREA OF SPILL OR LEAK. 3) FOR SMALL QUANTITIES, SWEEP ONTO PAPER OR OTHER SUITABLE MATERIAL, PLACE IN APPROPRIATE CONTAINER & BURN IN SAFE PLACE (SUCH AS FUME HOOD). LARGE QUANTITIES MAY BE RECLAIMED...IF /NOT/ PRACTICAL, USE PROCEDURE SIMILAR TO THAT FOR SMALL QUANTITIES. /TERPHENYLS/

SRP: At the time of review, criteria for land treatment or burial (sanitary landfill) disposal practices are subject to significant revision. Prior to implementing land disposal of waste residue (including waste sludge), consult with environmental regulatory agencies for guidance on acceptable disposal practices.

1) BY MAKING PACKAGES...IN PAPER OR OTHER SUITABLE FLAMMABLE MATERIAL & BURNING IN SUITABLE COMBUSTION CHAMBER. 2) BY DISSOLVING...IN FLAMMABLE SOLVENT (SUCH AS ALCOHOL) & ATOMIZING IN SUITABLE COMBUSTION CHAMBER. /TERPHENYLS/

The worker should immediately wash the skin when it becomes contaminated.

Work clothing that becomes wet or significantly contaminated should be removed and replaced.

Workers whose clothing may have become contaminated should change into uncontaminated clothing before leaving the work premises.

5.0 [mg/m3]

Ceiling Limit: 5 mg/cu m. /Terphenyls/

0.45 [mg/m3]

5.0 [mg/m3]

130 [mg/m3]

Excerpt from NIOSH Pocket Guide for p-Terphenyl:

Wear appropriate personal protective clothing to prevent skin contact.

Wear appropriate eye protection to prevent eye contact.

Eyewash fountains should be provided in areas where there is any possibility that workers could be exposed to the substance; this is irrespective of the recommendation involving the wearing of eye protection.

Facilities for quickly drenching the body should be provided within the immediate work area for emergency use where there is a possibility of exposure. (Note: It is intended that these facilities provide a sufficient quantity or flow of water to quickly remove the substance from any body areas likely to be exposed. The actual determination of what constitutes an adequate quick drench facility depends on the specific circumstances. In certain instances, a deluge shower should be readily available, whereas in others, the availability of water from a sink or hose could be considered adequate.)

For more Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) (Complete) data for PARA-TERPHENYL (11 total), please visit the HSDB record page.

500 mg/m3 (NIOSH, 2024)

500.0 [mg/m3]

500 mg/cu m

500 mg/m3

TERRESTRIAL FATE: Based on a recommended classification scheme(1), an estimated Koc value of 40000(SRC), from a measured water solubility(2), indicates that p-terphenyl will be immobile in soil(SRC). Based on limited pure culture data, p-terphenyl may be resistant to biodegradation(SRC). Two bacterial strains of Alcaligenes and Acinetobacter, enriched on biphenyl or 4-chlorobiphenyl, were unable to utilize p-terphenyl as a sole carbon source during a four week period(3). Volatilization of p-terphenyl may be important from moist soil surfaces(SRC) given an estimated Henry's Law constant of 3.4X10-5 atm-cu m/mole(SRC), from a recommended regression equation(4), but should not be significant from dry soil surfaces(SRC) based on a estimated vapor pressure of 3.4X10-7 mm Hg(5,SRC).

AQUATIC FATE: Based on a recommended classification scheme(1), an estimated Koc of 40000(SRC), determined from a measured water solubility(2), indicates that p-terphenyl should adsorb to suspended solids and sediment in the water(SRC). Based on limited pure culture data, p-Terphenyl may be resistant to biodegradation(SRC). Two bacterial strains of Alcaligenes and Acinetobacter, enriched on biphenyl or 4-chlorobiphenyl, were unable to utilize p-terphenyl as a sole carbon source during a four week period(3). p-Terphenyl should volatilize from water surfaces based on an estimated Henry's Law constant of 3.4X10-5 atm-cu m/mole(SRC), developed using a fragment constant estimation method(4). Estimated half-lives for a model river and model lake are 2 and 18 days, respectively(1,SRC). An estimated BCF value of 5900(1,SRC), determined from a measured water solubility(2), suggests that p-terphenyl will bioconcentrate in aquatic organisms(SRC), according to a recommended classification scheme(5).

ATMOSPHERIC FATE: According to a model of gas/particle partitioning of semivolatile organic compounds in the atmosphere(1), p-terphenyl, which has an estimated vapor pressure of 3.4X10-7 mm Hg at 25 °C(2), will exist in both the vapor and particulate phases in the ambient atmosphere. Vapor-phase p-terphenyl is degraded in the atmosphere by reaction with photochemically produced hydroxyl radicals(SRC); the half-life for this reaction in air is estimated to be about 2 days(3,SRC). Particulate-phase p-terphenyl may be physically removed from the air by dry deposition(SRC).

The Koc of p-terphenyl is estimated as approximately 40000(SRC), using an experimental water solubility of 0.0179 mg/l(1) and a regression-derived equation(2,SRC). According to a recommended classification scheme(3), this estimated Koc value suggests that p-terphenyl will be immobile in soil(SRC).

p-Terphenyl (CAS # 92-94-4) was evaluated for its effects on peripheral blood and bone marrows. The test substance was administered in the diet of dogs (1/sex/group) at a dosage level of 25, 50, or 500 mg/kg/day for 5-weeks. One or more changes in the bone marrow involving red and white cell series (megaloblastoid erythropoiesis, increased numbers of eosinophils, increased numbers of reticulum cells) were present after Day-3 in all animals at 500 mg/kg/day and 1 animal at 50 mg/kg/day. Hematological changes were still present after the 3-week recovery period.

p-Terphenyl (CAS # 92-94-4) was evaluated for its effects on peripheral blood and bone marrows. The test substance was administered in the diet of dogs (1/sex/group) at a dosage level of 0, 1.0, 2.5, 5.0, 10.0, or 15.0 mg/kg/day for 8-weeks. By the 8th-week, changes in the megaloblastoid erythropoiesis and increased eosinophil production were present in all animals and dose groups.

p-Terphenyl (CAS # 92-94-4) was evaluated for subchronic dietary toxicity. The test substance was administered in the diets of rats (16/sex/group) at a dosage level of 0, 1000, 2000, or 20,000 ppm for 90-days. Minor adverse hematological effects were noted at 2000 and 20,000 ppm. At 20,000 ppm, males had a pronounced change of haemostatic functions with reduced kaolincephalin and prothrombin indices. Females at this dose level had a slight decrease in haemoglobin values. The no-effect level was determined to be 1000 ppm in the diet. There was no treatment-related effects in regards to biochemistry and histopathology.

URBAN/SUBURBAN: Ambient air samples collected at Port Stanley (Lake Erie, Ontario, Canada), Point Petre (Lake Ontario, Ontario, Canada), and Dorset, Ontario, Canada between January and November 1990 contained p-terphenyl at average concentrations of 0.6, 0, and 0 ng/cu m, respectively(1).

... Concentrations of Santowax R vapor or condensate (a mixture of terphenyls containing 12% o-, 60% m-, and 28% p-terphenyl) in a reactor room under normal operating conditions ranged from 0.1 to 10 mg/cu m when the coolant was heated at 220 to 230 degree C. Concentrations above 10 mg/cu m (concentrations not specified) were associated with ocular and respiratory tract irritation in exposed workers. /Santowax R/

Terphenyl mixtures containing p-terphenyl are produced and used industrially as heat storage and transfer agents, as textile dye carriers, and as intermediates in the production of nonspreading lubricants(1) may result in p-terphenyl's release to the environment through various waste streams(SRC). From 1960-1970, technical grade terphenyls were also used as coolants for nuclear reactors, whereas contemporary use has been in solar-heating systems(1).

Based on pure culture data, p-terphenyl is expected to be resistant to aerobic biodegradation(SRC). Two bacterial strains of Alcaligenes and Acinetobacter, enriched on biphenyl or 4-chlorobiphenyl, were unable to utilize p-terphenyl as a sole carbon source during a four week period(1).

Depending on the extent to which these compounds are absorbed, the various terphenyls were metabolized to glucuronic acid conjugates and phenol and excreted in the urine of treated rabbits. Following a single 1 gram oral dose of o-, m-, or p-terphenyl, 60% of the o-, 38% of the m-, and a trace of p-terphenyl were detected as their respective glucuronides in the urine. Zero, 15%, and 30% of the o-, m-, and p-terphenyls, respectively, were isolated unchanged in feces.

Terphenyl mixtures are used as heat transfer media, dye carriers, and in the production of lubricants; [ACGIH]

POLYMERIZED WITH STYRENE TO MAKE A PLASTIC PHOSPHOR; SINGLE CRYSTALS USED AS SCINTILLATION COUNTERS

CHEM INT IN MFR OF NONSPREADING LUBRICANTS; AS NUCLEAR REACTOR COOLANTS; HEAT STORAGE & TRANSFER AGENTS; HAS BEEN USED AS COMPONENT OF SUNSCREEN LOTION

Terphenyl mixtures are used industrially as heat storage and transfer agents, as textile dye carriers, and as intermediates in the production of nonspreading lubricants. From 1960-1970, technical grade terphenyls were used as coolants for nuclear reactors, whereas contemporary use has been in solar-heating systems. /Terphenyl mixtures/

(1979) MORE THAN 2.27X10+6 GRAMS-ISOMERIC MIXT

(1981) MORE THAN 2.27X10+6 GRAMS-ISOMERIC MIXT

FROM PARA-DIBROMOBENZENE OR BROMOBENZENE & SODIUM. METHOD OF PURIFICATION: ZONE-MELTING.

Terphenyls are byproducts in the production of biphenyl by dehydrocondensation of benzene; they are found in the high-boiling fraction of the pyrolysis products. The o-derivative is readily separated from the terphenyl isomer mixture by distillation; m- and p-terphenyl distill together and the pure isomers can be obtained by zone refining.

USUALLY AVAIL AS MIXTURE OF...ISOMERS O-, M- & P-... SANTOWAX OM IS 64% O-TERPHENYL, 25% M-TERPHENYL, 6% P-TERPHENYL & 5% DIPHENYL. /SANTOWAX OM/

GRADES: TECHNICAL; SCINTILLATION

Santowax OM is composed of 64% o-terphenyl, 25% m-terphenyl, 6% p-terphenyl, and 5% diphenyl. A mixture of terphenyls, marketed as a heat-transfer medium in the late 1970s was composed of approximately 2-10% ortho-, 45-49% meta-, and 25-35% para-terphenyl with trace amounts of diphenyl, plus higher polyphenyls normally in the 2-18% range.