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Q:
Are there any common oils with low boiling (not smoke) points? Say under 150 C? If there aren't any, are there any NON TOXIC, non-polar liquids that boil under 150 Celsius?
- Ian Babcock (age 16)
MISSION VIEJO California United States
A:
Certainly. Liquid nitrogen boils at around -196 °C. It's nontoxic (air is ~80% nitrogen) and non-polar. Is there a narrower range of boiling points that you're after? (I suspect you want something between 22°C and 150°C, but I'm evading answering that because I can't think of something offhand. Bromine, for example, is somewhat toxic.)
Mike W.
OK, n-pentane (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentane) is non-polar and boils at 36°C. It doesn't quite pass the toxicity test, however, and also is a major explosive hazard. From a standard data sheet:
"
Stability: Stable. Incompatible with oxidizing agents, halogens.
Highly flammable. Readily forms explosive mixtures with air.
Toxicology: Harmful by inhalation, ingestion or skin absorption.
Irritant. Narcotic in high concentration."
(published on 05/04/2011)
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