Chloromethane

A simple molecule-level example of the chloroalkane family.

Formula
CH3Cl
Functional group
C-Cl
Molar mass
50.49 g/mol
Also known as
methyl chloride, MeCl

Overview

Small alkyl chloride example.

A simple molecule-level example of the chloroalkane family.

Chloromethane illustrates the simplest member of the chloroalkane family and provides a concrete molecule-level structure for the C-Cl functional group.

Identifiers

Formula
CH3Cl
Functional group
C-Cl
Molar mass
50.49 g/mol
Also known as
methyl chloride, MeCl
Chemical identifiers
SMILES
CCl
InChI
InChI=1S/CH3Cl/c1-2/h1H3
PubChem CID
6327

Properties

Melting Point
-97.6 °C
Boiling Point
-23.7 °C
Density
0.911 g/cu cm at 25 °C (pressure > 1 atm)
Water solubility
In water, 5040 mg/L at 25 °C

Related compounds

  • Chloroalkanes

    Chloromethane is a simple molecule-level example of the chloroalkane family.

References

  1. PubChem Compound Summary for ChloromethaneNational Center for Biotechnology Information · PubChem · 2026

    Used for basic identifiers and compound metadata.

  2. PubChem: ChloromethaneNational Center for Biotechnology Information

    Identity retrieved 2026-09-08; matched against the record's isomeric structure. Unspecified stereochemistry remains unspecified.

  3. Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB): Chloromethane — melting pointHazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)

    Retrieved through PubChem PUG View on 2026-09-08. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/6327#section=Melting-Point. Source value, complete property clause or compact miscibility statement retained; absent pressure, temperature or phase conditions are not inferred. Original reference: Haynes, W.M. (ed.). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. 95th Edition. CRC Press LLC, Boca Raton: FL 2014-2015, p. 3-108

  4. Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB): Chloromethane — boiling pointHazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)

    Retrieved through PubChem PUG View on 2026-09-08. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/6327#section=Boiling-Point. Source value, complete property clause or compact miscibility statement retained; absent pressure, temperature or phase conditions are not inferred. Original reference: O'Neil, M.J. (ed.). The Merck Index - An Encyclopedia of Chemicals, Drugs, and Biologicals. Cambridge, UK: Royal Society of Chemistry, 2013., p. 1120

  5. Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB): Chloromethane — densityHazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)

    Retrieved through PubChem PUG View on 2026-09-08. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/6327#section=Density. Source value, complete property clause or compact miscibility statement retained; absent pressure, temperature or phase conditions are not inferred. Original reference: Haynes, W.M. (ed.). CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. 95th Edition. CRC Press LLC, Boca Raton: FL 2014-2015, p. 3-108

  6. Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB): Chloromethane — solubilityHazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)

    Retrieved through PubChem PUG View on 2026-09-08. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/6327#section=Solubility. Source value, complete property clause or compact miscibility statement retained; absent pressure, temperature or phase conditions are not inferred. Original reference: Horvath AL; Halogenated hydrocarbons: solubility-miscibility with water. New York, NY: Marcel Dekker, Inc pp. 889 (1982)