2,5-Dichloronitrobenzene
In a dinitro compound the chlorine is the reactive site. Here it is the other way round: with only one nitro group the chlorines are not activated enough to displace easily, so they stay where they are. The nitro group is the part that moves — reduced to an amine, giving 2,5-dichloroaniline, a diazo component used across azo pigment and dye manufacture.
Chelora Chemicals supplies 2,5-DCNB to pigment and dye producers, agrochemical plants and fine chemical houses worldwide, in UN-approved packing, with a batch COA and GHS safety data sheet on every consignment.
Product identity
- CAS Number
- 89-61-2
- IUPAC name
- 1,4-Dichloro-2-nitrobenzene
- Molecular formula
- C6H3Cl2NO2
- Molecular weight
- 192.00 g/mol
- EC / EINECS
- 201-923-3
- UN Number
- 1578 · Class 6.1
- SMILES
- O=[N+]([O-])c1cc(Cl)ccc1Cl
- HS Code
- 2904 99*
* Confirm the exact HS heading with your customs broker — compounds carrying both chloro and nitro substituents can sit under a different subheading from the simple nitroaromatics depending on the destination tariff schedule.
What 2,5-Dichloronitrobenzene is used for
2,5-Dichloronitrobenzene is a yellow crystalline solid melting around 55 °C. The two chlorines and one nitro group give it a fixed, recognisable substitution pattern, and essentially the whole commercial demand is for carrying that pattern forward into a coloured molecule.
Reduction gives 2,5-dichloroaniline, which is diazotised and coupled into azo pigments and dyes. The chlorines contribute directly to the finished colourant's properties — they shift the absorption, they increase molecular weight and they tighten crystal packing, which is why dichloro-substituted azo pigments tend to be more lightfast and less soluble than their unsubstituted equivalents. A smaller stream of demand comes from agrochemical and fine chemical producers who need the same fragment.
Why the isomer decides the market
- 2,5-Dichloronitrobenzene (CAS 89-61-2) — this product. Reduces to 2,5-dichloroaniline; principally pigment and dye chemistry.
- 3,4-Dichloronitrobenzene (CAS 99-54-7) — reduces to 3,4-dichloroaniline, which goes largely into herbicide manufacture. A different product serving a different industry. See that page.
- 2,4-Dichloronitrobenzene — another commercial isomer, again with its own downstream chain.
- Meta nitrochlorobenzene (CAS 121-73-3) — only one chlorine, so an entirely different aniline downstream. See that page.
On this product family the CAS number is not a formality. Always state it on the purchase order — see the full intermediate range.
Appearance and handling character
The material ships as a yellow crystalline solid or flake, practically insoluble in water and soluble in hot alcohol, benzene and other organic solvents. Like all chloronitrobenzenes it is absorbed through intact skin and is a methaemoglobin former, so dermal exposure rather than inhalation is usually the controlling route in a risk assessment. The safety section below should be read before any handling is planned.
| Parameter | Typical value |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Yellow crystalline solid / flake |
| Assay | 99.0% min |
| Melting range | 54 – 56 °C |
| Isomer content | Reported per batch |
| Residual mono-chloronitrobenzene | Reported per batch |
| Moisture | 0.2% max |
Important: the figures above are indicative of commercial grade material and are offered for planning only. The batch certificate of analysis is the governing document. On this product the isomer figure is what decides whether a lot is usable in a colour application — tell us your ceiling and we will quote against it rather than against a generic grade.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Physical state | Crystalline solid at ambient |
| Melting point | ≈ 54 – 56 °C |
| Boiling point | ≈ 267 °C @ 760 mmHg |
| Flash point | ≈ 130 °C |
| Relative density | ≈ 1.67 (solid) |
| Water solubility | Practically insoluble |
| Organic solubility | Soluble in hot alcohol, benzene, ether |
| Chlorine reactivity | Low — not activated for easy displacement |
Physical constants compiled from public reference data for CAS 89-61-2 and rounded for readability. Treat them as orientation, not as a specification.
Where our customers put this molecule to work
This is a colour-chain intermediate. The reduction is the common step; the interest lies in what the resulting aniline is coupled into.
2,5-Dichloroaniline production
Catalytic reduction of the nitro group gives 2,5-dichloroaniline with both chlorines intact — the actual working intermediate of this chain and the reason most buyers purchase the nitro compound at all.
- Catalytic reduction route
- Isomer content carries through
- See our intermediate range
Azo pigment manufacture
Diazotised dichloroaniline couples into azo pigments used in inks, coatings and plastics, where the chlorine substitution improves lightfastness and reduces solubility — the two properties a pigment is bought for.
- Yellow and red pigment chemistry
- Tight isomer limits usually apply
- Colour-critical specification on request
Dye synthesis
The same diazo component appears in soluble dye chemistry, particularly where a chlorine-substituted shade with good wet fastness is required on synthetic fibre.
- Disperse and azo dye routes
- Shade sensitive to isomer content
- See our dye intermediate range
Agrochemical intermediates
Dichloro-substituted anilines appear in several agrochemical synthesis routes where the halogen pattern contributes to the activity or metabolic stability of the finished molecule.
- End-use declaration required
- Custom synthesis quantities available
- Technical desk review of your route
Laboratory & reference use
Small quantities serve as reference standards and in method development for chloronitrobenzene isomer analysis — a real analytical problem in this product family.
- Reference-grade material on request
- Small DG-compliant packs
- Full analytical documentation available
Contract & scheduled supply
Pigment plants run to campaign and Class 6.1 freight needs planning. Most buyers want tonnage released against a production plan rather than in one shipment. We hold inventory and release it to your schedule.
- Annual contracts with scheduled call-off
- Price held across the contract period
- Second source held in reserve
How we supply 2,5-Dichloronitrobenzene
Chelora Chemicals is a supplier and sourcing partner, not a manufacturer. On a product family where several isomers look identical on a drum label and behave quite differently in a reactor, owning no plant means we can route your order to the producer whose isomer control actually matches your shade tolerance.
We place your order with whichever qualified producer best matches your assay, your isomer limit, your price point and your delivery window.
We keep a second qualified source on this line. When a plant goes down for maintenance, your campaign switches source rather than stalling.
- Isomer confirmed before we quote. 2,5 or 3,4 — the two serve different industries entirely, and this is where orders on this product line go wrong most often.
- Isomer content reported, not averaged. It appears as its own figure on the COA, because that is what your diazotisation actually responds to.
- Batch COA shared before dispatch. You approve assay, melting range and isomer profile against your own spec while the material is still in our warehouse.
- Skin absorption stated up front. Chloronitrobenzenes pass through intact skin — we say so at enquiry stage so your EHS team can plan the right controls.
- Pre-shipment samples for qualification. New account or new source, your laboratory runs a trial before the full quantity ever moves.
- Export machinery handled in-house. UN 1578 classification, approved packing, labelling, freight booking and customs paperwork are ours to manage.
Packed the way your plant receives it
Pack format drives your landed cost and your handling effort. Tell us how the material will be charged at your end and we will quote the format that suits your operation.
UN bags / fibre drums
Lined, UN-approved 25 kg packs for Class 6.1 solids — the standard commercial format and the easiest for manual charging.
HDPE drums
Sealed drums with inner liner for longer storage, humid destinations or warehouses that run warm enough to risk caking near the melting point.
Low-dust & molten options
Flaked product reduces airborne fines during charging. Where you charge molten and have heated receipt facilities, molten movement can be arranged subject to the DG position.
Samples & trial packs
Laboratory and pilot quantities dispatched so your R&D team can qualify the grade first — subject to DG rules for your destination and courier.
Incoterms to suit you
Quoted on the Incoterm your purchasing team works to, with DG documentation filed before the booking is made rather than chased afterwards.
Campaign despatch
Dangerous-goods space needs planning. We hold contracted tonnage and release it against your production calendar instead of landing it all at once.
Skin absorption is the controlling route
2,5-Dichloronitrobenzene is toxic by the oral, dermal and inhalation routes, very toxic to aquatic life, and a methaemoglobin former. On a low-volatility solid, the exposure that actually hurts people is usually dermal rather than inhaled — which should shape your controls. The summary below is orientation only — the safety data sheet supplied with your consignment is the authoritative document.
Classified hazards
H301Toxic if swallowed.H311Toxic in contact with skin.H331Toxic if inhaled.H315Causes skin irritation.H319Causes serious eye irritation.H373May cause damage to organs through prolonged or repeated exposure.H410Very toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects.
Hazard statements reflect classifications commonly published for CAS 89-61-2. Chloronitrobenzenes as a class are methaemoglobin formers and are associated with effects on blood and liver on repeated exposure. Always read the SDS issued with your specific batch.
Spill & emergency orientation
Plan your response before the pallet arrives. Sections 4, 5 and 6 of the SDS are the authoritative instructions and should be posted at the point of use.
- Contain, do not hose to drain. H410 applies — collect spilled solid mechanically, avoid raising dust and dispose of it as regulated chemical waste.
- Assume skin absorption. Contaminated clothing is a continuing exposure route — remove it immediately and wash the skin thoroughly with soap and water.
- Expect delayed presentation. Methaemoglobinaemia may appear some hours after exposure. A casualty who feels fine should still be assessed, with the SDS in hand.
- Reduction is exothermic. Catalytic reduction of a nitroaromatic releases substantial heat — calorimetry and properly sized relief belong in the process design.
- Segregate from reducing agents, alkalis and strong oxidisers in storage as well as in process.
Storage
- Cool, dry, well-ventilated and access-controlled store, away from direct sunlight and heat sources. Note the melting point near 55 °C — a hot warehouse can soften or cake the product.
- Keep containers tightly closed on a sealed and bunded floor. Dust and fines from a damaged pack are the most likely route to an unplanned exposure.
- Segregate from reducing agents, alkalis and strong oxidisers.
- Restrict access. With a toxic-by-skin-contact classification, controlling who enters the store is a genuine control measure.
- Shelf life is typically 24 months or more in sealed original packing. Re-assay before use after long storage.
Handling & PPE
- Design skin contact out. Closed transfer, contained charging and dust suppression first; ventilation second; PPE last.
- Chemical-resistant gloves and coveralls, with contaminated clothing removed, bagged and handled as contaminated waste rather than sent to an ordinary laundry.
- Respiratory protection during pack opening, charging and any operation that can generate airborne fines, per your own exposure assessment.
- Health surveillance. Where repeated-exposure organ toxicity triggers obligations at your site, your occupational health provider owns the detail.
- Never discharge to drain or watercourse. H410 applies — contain and dispose of as regulated chemical waste.
Transport
Chloronitrobenzenes move as regulated cargo under UN 1578, Class 6.1. We classify each consignment, apply UN-approved packaging and labelling, and file the dangerous-goods declaration before the booking is made. The applicable packing group is stated on your shipping documents and SDS — ask us for the current DG paperwork when you plan the shipment.
What travels with every consignment
A chemical shipment is only as good as the file that travels with it. Verifying what the source plant sends is precisely the work you are buying from a supplier.
Certificate of Analysis
Batch-specific assay, melting range, isomer content, residual mono-chloronitrobenzene and moisture — checked against your purchase specification before release.
GHS Safety Data Sheet
Full 16-section SDS in GHS format covering hazards, exposure controls, handling, storage, spill response, toxicology and disposal — issued in the language your destination requires.
Dangerous Goods Declaration
UN 1578, hazard class, packing group and IMDG or IATA declaration prepared and filed before the container is booked, with correctly marked and labelled packaging.
Certificate of Origin
Chamber-attested where required, plus preferential-origin forms where a trade agreement gives your import duty relief at the destination.
Third-party inspection
SGS, Intertek or Bureau Veritas sampling and inspection arranged on request before loading, giving you independent verification of what actually ships.
Retained & pre-shipment samples
Pre-shipment samples carry the same COA as the commercial lot, so what your laboratory qualifies is exactly what arrives. Retention samples held against the batch.
The chlorines stay; the nitro group changes
One nitro group is not enough to activate a chlorine for easy displacement, which is precisely why this molecule works as a carrier of its substitution pattern. The routes below are the general industrial pattern, not a process disclosure.
Nitrate the dichlorobenzene
Nitration of p-dichlorobenzene installs the nitro group, giving the 2,5-substitution pattern alongside smaller amounts of other isomers.
Separate the isomers
Crystallisation or distillation removes the unwanted isomers. What remains shows up as the isomer figure and the melting range on the COA.
Reduce to the aniline
Catalytic reduction converts the nitro group to an amine while both chlorines survive untouched — the whole point of using a mono-nitro substrate.
Diazotise and couple
The dichloroaniline is diazotised and coupled into the pigment or dye, where the chlorines govern shade, lightfastness and solubility.
Why feed quality carries through the whole route
In colour chemistry an impurity does not simply dilute the product — it becomes a second chromophore:
- Isomeric dichloronitrobenzenes reduce to isomeric anilines, diazotise alongside your intended component and couple to a different shade. This is the single most consequential impurity on the product.
- Residual mono-chloronitrobenzene reduces to a mono-chloroaniline, which couples to give a lighter, less fast pigment component.
- Moisture affects catalyst life and selectivity in the reduction step.
- Melting range is the quick practical read on all of the above, which is why buyers watch it as closely as the assay figure.
That is why we quote against your written isomer limit rather than a generic "technical" grade, and why the batch COA is shared for approval before dispatch rather than sent with the invoice.
| Intermediate | Downstream chain |
|---|---|
| 2,5-Dichloronitrobenzene CAS 89-61-2 — this product | 2,5-Dichloroaniline Pigments & dyes |
| 3,4-Dichloronitrobenzene CAS 99-54-7 | 3,4-Dichloroaniline Herbicides |
| Meta nitrochlorobenzene CAS 121-73-3 | m-Chloroaniline Dyes, agro, pharma |
We supply across the chloronitrobenzene family — see the full intermediate range. Send the CAS number and we will confirm the correct material before quoting.
What actually moves the price of this intermediate
Knowing what drives the quote helps you time a purchase and read whether an offer is realistic.
Isomer separation is the cost
Nitration gives a mixture. Everything you pay above the raw chemistry is the cost of separating this isomer from its neighbours — which is why a tighter isomer ceiling moves the price more than a tighter assay figure does.
- Tighter isomer limits narrow the source list
- Crystallisation energy is a real cost
- We will tell you when you are over-specifying
Upstream feedstock
The route runs back through benzene, chlorination to dichlorobenzene and mixed-acid nitration. Chlorine, benzene and acid economics all feed through within a quarter or so.
- Dichlorobenzene availability sets the floor
- Chlorine cost moves with the chlor-alkali cycle
- We flag feedstock-driven moves in the quote
Co-product economics
A nitration line produces several isomers at once, and the plant's economics depend on selling all of them. If demand for the sister isomer collapses, this one carries more of the overhead.
- Isomer prices move together, not alone
- Ask us what the sister market is doing
- Contracted call-off smooths the exposure
Regulatory pressure
Chloronitroaromatic production carries effluent, emissions and occupational health obligations that have consolidated capacity into fewer, larger plants. That cost sits inside the price.
- Handling obligations vary by jurisdiction
- Effluent rules shape plant economics
- We check destination rules before quoting
Freight & DG surcharges
Class 6.1 cargo carries a hazardous surcharge and space is tighter than for general cargo. Destination and Incoterm move landed cost as much as the ex-works price does.
- Compare on landed cost, not ex-works
- DG space books out ahead of peak season
- We quote FOB, CIF, CFR or DDP as you prefer
Source availability
A plant turnaround, an environmental inspection or a monsoon disruption can take capacity offline at short notice. Single-sourced buyers feel this hardest.
- We hold a second qualified source on this line
- Qualify the alternate before you need it
- Ask us about dual-source contracts
| If your end use is… | Specify |
|---|---|
| Azo pigment manufacture | Tight isomer ceiling; narrow melting range |
| Dye synthesis | Isomer limit; low mono-chloro residue |
| Captive reduction | Low moisture for catalyst life; consistent assay |
| Agrochemical route | Full impurity profile; end-use declaration |
| Laboratory / reference | Highest available purity, small DG-compliant pack |
Not sure which column you are in? Describe what you make from it and our technical desk will recommend the grade — including telling you when a cheaper specification would do the job just as well.
Support that goes beyond shipping the drum
What our technical desk will do
- Confirm the isomer before anything else. On this product family that is the single most common source of a wasted shipment, and we settle it in the first reply.
- Set the isomer ceiling with you. It is the number that decides whether a lot works in a colour application, and the one most often left vague on a purchase order.
- Be straight about the hazard profile. Toxic by all three routes, skin-absorbed, very toxic to aquatic life — stated at enquiry stage so your EHS team can plan.
- Review your specification before it goes into a contract, so you are not locked into a limit that no plant can consistently hit.
Regulatory & compliance notes
- Chloronitroaromatic obligations are jurisdiction-specific. Several regimes impose exposure monitoring, health surveillance and record retention for this class. Confirm what applies at your site before the first delivery.
- Import controls vary by destination. We check the destination rules before quoting, not after you have raised the PO.
- Chemical inventory listings differ between regions — we will supply the identity data you need for that filing.
- Effluent and waste rules matter because of the H410 classification. Check your discharge consent against the material before introducing it.
None of the above is legal advice — your own regulatory affairs team owns the final compliance position for your import and your workplace. What we commit to is accurate product identity data, an honest statement of the hazard classification and complete documentation to work from.
From enquiry to delivered pallet
Send the specification
Product name or CAS 89-61-2, your assay, melting range and isomer limits, quantity, pack preference and destination port.
Receive a firm quote
Pricing, lead time, packing and Incoterm confirmed in writing within 24 hours — our sourcing desk is staffed around the clock.
Qualify and approve
Sample dispatched if you are qualifying a new source. Batch COA shared for your approval before the material is released.
Ship and track
UN 1578 classification filed, DG freight booked, export documents issued, and the consignment tracked through transit and clearance to your plant.
Others in the Chelora range
What buyers ask us about 2,5-Dichloronitrobenzene
How is this different from the 3,4-isomer?
What purity do you normally supply?
Why does isomer content matter so much?
Is it absorbed through the skin?
What is the minimum order quantity?
How long does delivery take?
How should we store it, and what is the shelf life?
Is this a dangerous good? What paperwork comes with it?
- Batch certificate of analysis
- GHS-format safety data sheet
- Dangerous-goods declaration with UN number, class and packing group
- Commercial invoice, packing list and bill of lading or airway bill
- Certificate of origin and any destination-specific forms
Do you supply to my country?
Do you manufacture this yourself?
Request pricing on 2,5-Dichloronitrobenzene
Send your required assay, melting range, isomer ceiling, quantity, pack format and destination port. Our sourcing desk is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and comes back with pricing, lead time and packing options — whether that is a single trial pack or a contracted programme for the year.