Adipoyl chloride is a di-acyl chloride

Acyl chloride

In organic chemistry, an acyl chloride is an organic compound with the functional group -CO-Cl. Their formula is usually written RCOCl, where R is a side chain. They are usually considered to be reactive derivatives of carboxylic acids. A specific example of an acyl chloride is acetyl chloride,...

, with formula C₆H₈Cl₂O₂.

It is a hazardous chemical that evolves HCl

HCL

HCL or HCl can stand for:* Hairy cell leukemia, an uncommon and slowly progressing B cell leukemia* Hardware compatibility list...

 when reacted with water. It should be handled with full protection under a fume hood.

Adipoyl chloride can be reacted with hexamethylene diamine, another toxic chemical, to form a perfectly safe product: nylon

Nylon

Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers known generically as polyamides, first produced on February 28, 1935, by Wallace Carothers at DuPont's research facility at the DuPont Experimental Station...

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Adipoyl chloride can be prepared from adipic acid

Adipic acid

Adipic acid is the organic compound with the formula 42. From the industrial perspective, it is the most important dicarboxylic acid: About 2.5 billion kilograms of this white crystalline powder are produced annually, mainly as a precursor for the production of nylon...

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