Canadian Soil Quality Guidelines for the Protection of Environmental and Human Health - Sulfolane

Sulfolane (C4H8SO2; CAS 126-33-0) is a solvent used for gas treatment in a number of industrial processes. It is known under a variety of synonyms and trade names including bondelane A, 2,3,4,5-tetrahydrothiophene-1,1dioxide, and tetramethylene sulfone. It has a molecular weight of 120.17 g·mol, a density of 1.276 g·cm at 15°C, an aqueous solubility of 1,266,000 mg·L at 20°C, a log Koc of 0.07, a mean Kd in aquifer materials of 0.08 L·kg, a vapour pressure at 20°C of 1.33 x 10 kPa, and a Henry’s law constant of 8.9 x 10 atm·m·mol. The total worldwide production of sulfolane is estimated at between 18,000 and 36,000 tons per year. Commercially, sulfolane is available as anhydrous sulfolane and as sulfolane containing 3% deionized water.