Top Qs
Timeline
Chat
Perspective
TCPO
Chemical compound From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Remove ads
TCPO, or bis(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl) oxalate, is a chemical used in some types of glow sticks and is a key chemical in many chemiluminescent reactions.
This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2025) |
Remove ads
Uses
When combined with a fluorescent dye like 9,10-bis(phenylethynyl)anthracene, a solvent (such as diethyl phthalate), and a weak base (usually sodium acetate or sodium salicylate), and hydrogen peroxide, the mixture will start a chemiluminescent reaction to glow a fluorescent green color.[1]
Red, yellow and blue colors can be made by replacing the 9,10-bis(phenylethynyl)anthracene with rhodamine B, rubrene and 9,10-diphenylanthracene respectively.
The above fluorescent dyes absorb much of the energy produced during the decomposition of the oxalate ester, and convert that energy into light energy which is observed as the characteristic glow in products such as glowsticks.
Remove ads
Preparation
TCPO can be prepared from a solution of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol in a solution of dry toluene by reaction with oxalyl chloride in the presence of a base such as triethylamine. This method produces crude TCPO with a by-product of triethylamine hydrochloride. The triethylamine hydrochloride can be dissolved in water, methanol or ethanol, so the product is more purified. After washing it can be recrystallized from ethyl acetate.
Remove ads
See also
References
Wikiwand - on
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Remove ads