Hexachlorocyclohexane
(HCH)
Student's Name: Ethan Lau
Student ID #: STMS20007
Teacher: Craig Martin
Due Date: 7 June 2013
Word Count:515 Hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) is a six chlorine substituted cyclohexane, a polyhalogenated compound. It comes in many forms. Some are pesticides.
Common forms are: • α-HCH , or α-BCH, alpha-Hexachlorocyclohexane α-Hexachlorocyclohexane (α-HCH) is an organochloride which is one of the isomers of hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH). It is a byproduct of the production of the insecticide lindane (γ-HCH) and it is typically still contained in commercial grade lindane used as insecticide. Lindane, however, has not been produced or used in the United States for more than 20 years. At ambient temperatures it is a stable, white, powdery solid substance. • β-HCH , or β-BCH, beta-Hexachlorocyclohexane β-hexachlorocyclohexane (β-HCH) is an organochloride which is one of the isomers of hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH). It is a byproduct of the production of the insecticide lindane (γ-HCH). It is typically constitutes 5-14% of technical grade lindane, though it has not been produced or used in the United States for more than 20 years, i.e. since 1985. This pesticide was widely used during the 1960s and 1970s, particularly on cotton plants. Although banned as a pesticide more than 30 years ago, traces of beta-HCH can still be found in water and soil. Animal studies show that organochlorine pesticides, including beta-HCH, are neurotoxic, cause oxidative stress, and damage the brain's dopaminergic system. Human studies show that exposure to beta-HCH is linked to Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. Beta-HCH was present in elevated levels in some patients as recently as 2009. It was manufactured by exhausting chlorination of benzene and for this reason was called erroneously beta-BHC. This synnonym still persists. In March 2005, the Italian