Carbon black
| Names | |
|---|---|
Other names
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| Identifiers | |
3D model (JSmol) |
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| ECHA InfoCard | 100.014.191 |
| EC Number |
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| E number | E152 (colours) |
| UNII | |
CompTox Dashboard (EPA) |
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| Properties | |
| C | |
| Molar mass | 12.011 g·mol−1 |
| Appearance | Black solid |
| Density | 1.8–2.1 g/cm3 (20 °C) |
| Practically insoluble | |
| Hazards | |
| Lethal dose or concentration (LD, LC): | |
LD50 (median dose) |
> 15400 mg/kg (oral rat) 3000 mg/kg (dermal, rabbit) |
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
Infobox references | |
Carbon black (with subtypes acetylene black, channel black, furnace black, lamp black and thermal black) is a material produced by the incomplete combustion of coal tar, vegetable matter, or petroleum products, including fuel oil, fluid catalytic cracking tar, and ethylene cracking in a limited supply of air. Carbon black is a form of paracrystalline carbon that has a high surface-area-to-volume ratio, albeit lower than that of activated carbon. It is dissimilar to soot in its much higher surface-area-to-volume ratio and significantly lower (negligible and non-bioavailable) polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) content.
Carbon black is used as a colorant and reinforcing filler in tires and other rubber products and as a pigment and wear protection additive in plastics, paints, and ink pigment. It is used in the EU as a food colorant when produced from vegetable matter (E153).
The current International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) evaluation is that, "Carbon black is possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B)". Short-term exposure to high concentrations of carbon black dust may produce discomfort to the upper respiratory tract through mechanical irritation.