English

Noun

1. The hydrocarbon C6H5-CH2CH3 that is used in the production of styrene

Ethylbenzene is an organic chemical compound which is an aromatic hydrocarbon. Its major use is in the petrochemical industry as an intermediate compound for the production of styrene, which in turn is used for making polystyrene, a commonly used plastic material. Although often present in small amounts in crude oil, ethylbenzene is produced in bulk quantities by combining the petrochemicals benzene and ethylene in an acid-catalyzed chemical reaction. Catalytic dehydrogenation of the ethylbenzene then gives hydrogen gas and styrene, which is vinylbenzene. Ethylbenzene is also an ingredient in some paints, and solvent grade xylene (xylol) nearly always contains ethylbenzene as a contaminent, to the extent of a few percent.

References

• EPA Chemical database
• Intox Chemical database
• Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

External links

• National Pollutant Inventory - Ethybenzene Fact Sheet
• NLM Hazardous Substances Databank – Ethylbenzene