Xylene what is

The alcohol is then replaced by xylene. This preparation is necessary to allow the tissue sample to be embedded in paraffin wax while maintaining its structure. The tissue sample is now immersed in a bath of paraffin. Since paraffin is miscible with the xylene, the melted wax fills the interior of the tissue cells, forming a clear filler. When the wax hardens, the tissue can then be carefully cut into thin slices using a microtome.

Next, the thin sections are stained and placed on a microscope slide for examination. This step is basically the reverse of step two. Since most staining agents are water soluble, the paraffin must be removed first. To do this, the sectioned samples are passed through xylene in order to remove the paraffin. When stained, the samples are again dehydrated and placed in xylene.

The sections are then mounted on microscope slides in a medium dissolved in xylene. A cover slip is put on top of each sample and the xylene is allowed to dry. Finally, the mounting medium hardens and binds the coverslip on the microscope slide.

As a paint thinner, this chemical has some advantages over other paint thinning agents like toluene. This allows you to apply paint more evenly on a surface. Xylene is also the preferred thinner for those who use spray paints because it facilitates a better flow. Like other hydrocarbons, xylenes are toxic and have several health hazards. If you inhale its vapours in small amounts, you may feel dizzy, nauseated, drowsy, and could develop a headache.

If no medical attention is given, exposure to xylene vapours could even be fatal. Additionally, liquid xylene can cause a painful burning sensation on the skin, and can damage the eyes if it makes contact. The vapours are also mildly irritating to the mucous membranes, eyes, lungs, and skin. No evidence is found indicating that xylenes are carcinogenic, despite the presence of the benzene group.

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We do not recommend using any chemical without first consulting the Material Safety Data Sheet which can be obtained from the manufacturer and following the safety advice and precautions on the product label. Synthetic sea water is also known as artificial sea water ASW and substitute ocean water, and is mainly used One of the most important applications of chemistry is storing electrical energy for prolonged periods of time.

Modern technological Graduate schemes for those who have earned a chemistry degree are excellent ways to learn on the job. Distilled water and demineralised water both refer to water that has been purified, and share similar uses. It exists in three isomeric forms: ortho-, meta- and para-xylene. Xylene is used as a solvent in the printing, rubber, paint and leather industries.

It is found in small amounts in airplane fuel, gasoline and cigarette smoke. In dentistry, xylene is used in histological laboratories for tissue processing, staining and cover slipping and also in endodontic retreatment as a guttapercha solvent. Its high solvency factor allows maximum displacement of alcohol and renders the tissue transparent, enhancing paraffin infiltration.

In staining procedures, its excellent dewaxing and clearing capabilities contribute to brilliantly stained slides. Histopathological technicians who routinely come in contact with xylene-contaminated solvents in the workplace are the population most likely to be exposed to high levels of xylene. The current Occupational Safety and Health Administration permissible exposure limit for xylene is ppm as an 8-h time-weighted average TWA concentration.

Besides occupational exposure, the principal pathway of human contact is via soil contamination from leaking underground storage tanks containing petroleum products. Xylene can leak into the soil, surface water or ground water where it may remain for months or more before it breaks down into other chemicals. However, as it evaporates easily, most of it goes into the air and gets broken down by sunlight into other less-harmful chemicals.

Most people begin to smell xylene in air at 0. Exposure to xylene can occur via inhalation, ingestion, eye or skin contact. It is primarily metabolized in the liver by oxidation of a methyl group and conjugation with glycine to yield methyl hippuric acid, which is excreted in the urine. Smaller amounts are eliminated unchanged in the exhaled air.

There is a low potential for accumulation. The type and severity of health effects depends on several factors, including the amount of chemical you are exposed to and the length of time you are exposed for.

Individuals also react differently to different levels of exposure. The main effect of inhaling xylene vapor is depression of the central nervous system, with symptoms such as headache, dizziness, nausea and vomiting. The effects listed below can begin to occur with exposure to air levels of about ppm. They are reversible and become more noticeable and serious as the length of time of exposure increases[ 1 ] [ Table 1 ]. Effect of xylene on the central nervous system is attributed to the liposolubility of xylene in the neuronal membrane.

It has been suggested that xylene disturbs the action of proteins essential to normal neuronal function either by disruption of the lipid environment in which the membrane proteins function or by direct interaction with the proteins in the membranes.

Oxidation of xylene to these intermediates by microsomal enzyme systems may occur in the brain. It is unclear whether these represent direct effects of xylene or are secondary changes resulting from nonspecific central nervous system depression. Long-term exposure may lead to headaches, irritability, depression, insomnia, agitation, extreme tiredness, tremors, impaired concentration and short-term memory. Irritation of the nose and throat can occur at approximately ppm after 3—5 min.

Accidental splash in the eye may damage the surface of the eye, which will heal within a few days. Exposure to xylene at levels of ppm or greater can irritate the lungs, causing chest pain and shortness of breath.

Extreme overexposure e. However, there is no evidence that repeated, low-level exposure has any long-term effects on the lung. At very high levels of exposure, xylene can injure the liver and kidneys, but this is extremely unlikely to happen without noticeable effects on the nervous system. Generally, such damage is reversible. There is no evidence that exposure to xylene affects the blood cells in humans. Earlier reports of low red blood cell counts anemia may have been due to contamination of xylene with benzene.

Symptoms of nausea, vomiting and gastric discomfort were observed in workers exposed to xylene vapors unspecified concentration , which were reversible. Workers exposed to xylenes TWA 14 ppm reported reduced grasping power and reduced muscle power in the extremities more frequently than the unexposed controls.

This is due to the neurological effect rather than a direct effect on the muscles. Frequent or prolonged skin contact can cause irritation and dermatitis, dryness, flaking and cracking of the skin.

Damaged skin may allow greater absorption of chemicals. Xylene trapped in the clothing can cause burns and blistering. There is inadequate evidence for the carcinogenicity of xylene in humans. The available animal information is insufficient to connect xylene with any reproductive effects.

Xylene inhaled by a woman can reach a developing fetus and can contaminate her breast milk. It is recommended that pregnant and nursing women minimize their exposure to xylene, just as they should minimize their exposure to alcohol, tobacco and other drugs.

Substitution means finding a substance that can perform the same function and which may lessen the hazard. Care should be taken not to introduce any new hazards when selecting a substitute for a hazardous material. Even smelling it can affect major organs.

The best protective measures you can take around xylene are to work in a properly ventilated environment, such as a hood that vents quickly outside the area; a respirator mask as needed; and to wear proper protective eye goggles, gloves, protective clothes and aprons. Exposed individuals should be removed from the contamination, and medical assistance should be sought. Because xylene is heavier than air, it can reside in pockets near the ground.

Therefore it is wise to remove persons from low-lying areas near the xylene contamination. Also, any xylene vapor trapped in clothing can affect helpers. Those who work regularly with xylene should be given routine medical examinations, and have body fluids monitored.

Always review material safety data sheets in areas that use xylene and other powerful chemicals. She spent nine years working in laboratory and clinical research.

A lifelong writer, Dianne is also a content manager and science fiction and fantasy novelist. Dianne features science as well as writing topics on her website, jdiannedotson. Additional uses of xylene include its addition to pesticides and disinfectants. Alternative Solvents to Benzene. What Is Sodium Lauryl Sulfate? Ingredients in Carburetor Cleaners. Uses of Ethanoic Acid. What Is Melamine Formaldehyde? Cetylpyridinium Chloride Side Effects. What Is Oleoresin Capsicum?

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