Tetralin
chemical compound
Tetralin (1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene) is a hydrocarbon having the chemical formula C10H12. It is a partially hydrogenated derivative of naphthalene. It is a colorless liquid that is used as a hydrogen-donor solvent.
Production
Tetralin is produced by the catalytic hydrogenation of naphthalene.
Although nickel catalysts are traditionally employed, many variations have been evaluated. Over-hydrogenation converts tetralin into decahydronaphthalene (decalin). Rarely encountered is dihydronaphthalene (dialin).
Laboratory methods
The Darzens tetralin synthesis, a name reaction discovered by Auguste Georges Darzens in 1926, involves production of tetralin derivatives by an intramolecular electrophilic aromatic substitution reaction of a 1-aryl-pent-4-ene using concentrated sulfuric acid,
Uses
Tetralin is used as a hydrogen-donor solvent, for example in coal liquifaction. It functions as a source of H2, which is transferred to the coal. The partially hydrogenated coal is more soluble.
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Datasets, specimens, observations and peer-reviewed methods provide the appropriate test for the technical claims summarized here. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 10, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q420416. The Library of Congress control number is sh98000413. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1926.
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This entry incorporates text from “Tetralin” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.