Dioxins

This is from Wikipedia. The definition of dioxins. Apparently the proposal to burn petcoke in the Virgin Islands would create dioxins as a byproduct of electricity production. It looks to me like we don't want this to happen. This is one of the reasons the entire population of the Virgin Islands is against the petcoke proposal, while only a few government officials seem to be in favor of it.

Read below, or go to Wikipedia and click on all the links. No wonder we don't want this pathetic proposal to go forward.

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Dioxin (chemical)
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For the general class of dioxin compounds which are environmental pollutants, see polychlorinated dibenzodioxins.
Not to be confused with dioxane or digoxin.
1,4-Dioxin

IUPAC name[hide]
1,4-dioxin
other names[hide]
p-dioxin, dioxin
Identifiers
CAS number 290-67-5
Properties
Molecular formula C4H4O2
Molar mass 84.07 g/mol
Appearance Colorless liquid
Boiling point

75 °C, 348 K, 167 °F
Hazards
EU classification Toxic (T)
Related compounds
Related compounds dibenzodioxin
Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C, 100 kPa)
Infobox references

Dioxin is a heterocyclic, organic, antiaromatic compound with the chemical formula C4H4O2. There are two isomers, 1,2-dioxin (or o-dioxin) and 1,4-dioxin (or p-dioxin). Their chemical structures are shown below. 1,2-Dioxin is very unstable due to its peroxide-like characteristics. The known properties of 1,4-dioxin are listed in the infobox to the right.

The term "dioxin" is most commonly used for a family of derivatives of dioxin, known as polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (PCDDs).
Skeletal formulas and substituent numbering schemes of dioxin isomers
Contents
[hide]

* 1 Preparation
* 2 Derivatives
o 2.1 Polychlorinated dibenzodioxins
* 3 References

[edit] Preparation

1,4-Dioxin can be prepared by cycloaddition, namely by the Diels-Alder reaction.[1]
[edit] Derivatives
Figure 1: The skeletal formula and substituent numbering scheme of dibenzo-1,4-dioxin, the parent compound of PCDDs

The word "dioxin" can refer in a general way to compounds which have a dioxin core skeletal structure with substituent molecular groups attached to it. For example, dibenzo-1,4-dioxin is a compound whose structure consists of two benzo- groups fused onto a 1,4-dioxin ring as shown in figure 1 (see also dibenzodioxin).
[edit] Polychlorinated dibenzodioxins
Main article: polychlorinated dibenzodioxins

Because of their extreme importance as environmental pollutants, current scientific literature uses the name dioxins commonly for simplification to denote the chlorinated derivatives of dibenzo-1,4-dioxin, more precisely the polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (PCDDs), among which 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzodioxin (TCDD), a tetrachlorinated derivative, is the best known. The polychlorinated dibenzodioxins, which can also be classified in the family of halogenated organic compounds, have been shown to bioaccumulate in humans and wildlife due to their lipophilic properties, and are known teratogens, mutagens, and carcinogens.

PCDDs are formed through combustion, chlorine bleaching and manufacturing processes.[2] The combination of heat and chlorine creates dioxin.[2] Since chlorine is often a part of the Earth's environment, natural ecological activity such as volcanic activity and forest fires can lead to the formation of PCDDs.[2] Nevertheless, PCDDs are mostly created by human activity.[2]

PCDD exposures are proven/suspected in famous cases including Agent Orange produced by Monsanto sprayed over vegetation during the Vietnam war, the Seveso disaster, and the poisoning of Viktor Yushchenko.

Polychlorinated dibenzofurans are a related class compounds to PCDDs which are often included within the general term "dioxins".
[edit] References