Cyclododecane
Definition of cyclododecane:
Cyclododecane is a saturated, alicyclical hydrocarbon[1].
This is the common definition for cyclododecane, other definitions can be discussed in the article
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Notes
| Cyclododecane |
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| Formula |
| C12H24 |
There are 2 main uses for cyclododecane. It can be used as an intermediate, e. g. for the production of flame retardants, cleaning and washing agents and other chemicals. It can also be used as a binding medium for temporarily sealing, consolidation and conservation of weak or friable materials in the field of excavation and transport of archaeological objects[2].
It is very persistent in the environment. It's not hydrolysed abiotically and also not easily biodegraded. Considering that it is highly lipofylic, cyclododecane is considered to be mostly adsorbed to suspended particles and soils. It is also very volatile, causing the dissolved cyclododecane to evaporate rapidly to the atmosphere. Without adsorption, the half-life of cyclododecane in a small pond (by evaporation) would be less than 4 hours. Due to this adsorption the real half-live is 48 days. If released to the atmosphere, cyclododecane will be abiotically degraded.
Cyclododecane has a very high potential to bioaccumulate, although there is no information available on its ability to biomagnify through food chains. Concentrations above 1 mg/l cause acute toxicity in fishes, concentrations above 2 mg/l acute toxicity in aquatic invertebrates[2].
Environmental standards and legislation
Included in the OSPAR list of substances of priority action
References
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