Meta Chloroaniline
The meta monochloroaniline isomer, supplied by Chelora Chemicals as a pharmaceutical and azoic dye intermediate behind hydrochlorothiazide, miconazole and Orange GC Base — exported from Indonesia with full batch documentation on every shipment.
What Meta Chloroaniline is, and why buyers source it
A working overview of the compound's chemistry, its place in the aniline-derivative family, and the grades Chelora Chemicals keeps in regular supply.
Meta Chloroaniline — 3-chloroaniline systematically — places its chlorine across the ring from the amino group, at the position that neither crowds the nitrogen nor sits in conjugation with it. The result is an aniline whose amine behaves close to the unsubstituted parent while the ring carries a meta-directing chlorine into whatever is built next. For a number of pharmaceutical scaffolds that is precisely the substitution pattern required, and no other isomer will substitute.
It is a liquid at ambient temperature, colourless to pale yellow when fresh and darkening to brown on storage without loss of assay. Of the three monochloroanilines it is the easiest to handle: at a freezing point near −10 °C it stays pumpable in any normal store, with none of the freezing risk the ortho isomer brings or the melt handling the para isomer demands. It is sparingly soluble in water and boils at 230 °C with decomposition, so distillation is run under vacuum.
Where it fits in the synthesis chain
Meta Chloroaniline is used as an intermediate in pharmaceutical, agrochemical and dye synthesis. Its documented pharmaceutical outlets are substantial for a low-volume isomer: the diuretic hydrochlorothiazide, the veterinary anthelmintics febantel and fenbendazole, the antifungal miconazole nitrate, clofenamic acid, and 1-(3-chlorophenyl)piperazine as a building block in central nervous system chemistry. In dyeing it is Orange GC Base, a diazo component for azoic colours on cotton.
Grades we supply
Chelora Chemicals offers Meta Chloroaniline in technical grade (99%) and high-purity grade (99.5%+) for pharmaceutical intermediate manufacture. Both ship with a batch-wise certificate of analysis. Because the manufacturing route for this isomer involves a difficult isomer separation, the isomeric chloroaniline figure on the certificate is the one pharmaceutical buyers most often specify, and we quote against a stated limit rather than a house default.
How Meta Chloroaniline is made
An overview of the production route for orientation purposes. Our manufacturing partners' own process parameters and in-process controls are proprietary and are not disclosed beyond what is needed to interpret the certificate of analysis.
The manufacturing route for this isomer is also the reason for its price. Nitration of chlorobenzene — the reaction that supplies the feedstock for both the ortho and para chloroanilines — delivers only about 1% of the meta nitro isomer, far too little to serve as a commercial source.
Instead the sequence is reversed: nitrobenzene is chlorinated over a sublimed iron(III) catalyst at around 33–45 °C to give 3-nitrochlorobenzene, which is then reduced to the amine by catalytic hydrogenation or iron and hydrochloric acid. The nitro group's meta-directing character is what puts the chlorine in the right place, and running the steps in this order is the only economic way to reach the 3- pattern.
The chlorination still produces an isomer mixture whose members have closely similar boiling points and densities, so the separation is genuinely difficult and is the dominant cost in the process. After separation and reduction the amine is distilled under vacuum, since it decomposes at its atmospheric boiling point.
Why this isomer costs more than the other two
Ortho and para chloroaniline ride on a nitration stream that a chlorobenzene plant produces anyway, as co-products of one another. Meta cannot: it needs a dedicated nitrobenzene-chlorination plant followed by a hard isomer separation that the similar physical properties of the products make expensive. That structural difference, not demand, is why Meta Chloroaniline is the lowest-volume and highest-priced of the three, and why lead times are quoted against campaign scheduling rather than ex-stock.
Industries and processes that use it
Meta Chloroaniline is consumed almost entirely as a synthesis intermediate. The four fields below account for most of the demand we see through our export desk.
Pharmaceuticals
Hydrochlorothiazide, the antifungal miconazole nitrate, clofenamic acid, and 1-(3-chlorophenyl)piperazine as a central nervous system building block.
Veterinary Medicines
The anthelmintics febantel and fenbendazole, both built on a 3-chlorophenyl-containing scaffold.
Azoic Dyes
Orange GC Base — C.I. azoic diazo component — diazotized and coupled on the fibre for orange shades on cotton, plus azo dyes generally.
Intermediates
3-Chlorophenyl isocyanate, 3-chlorophenol, 3-chlorodiphenylamine, fluorescent brighteners, and the herbicide barban.
How the molecule is typically carried forward
With the chlorine well away from the amino group, the nitrogen behaves much like that of aniline itself. The reactions below run readily, and the meta chlorine simply carries through to direct substitution in the finished molecule.
Diazotization
Nitrous acid generated in situ below 5 °C gives the 3-chlorobenzenediazonium salt — the basis of Orange GC Base azoic dyeing.
Azo Coupling
Coupled on the fibre with naphthol coupling components to develop fast orange shades, or in the vessel to build conventional azo dyes.
Condensation to Heterocycles
Condensation and cyclisation routes build the quinoline, piperazine and benzimidazole cores behind the pharmaceutical outlets.
Isocyanate Formation
Phosgenation gives 3-chlorophenyl isocyanate, used to build ureas and carbamates including the herbicide barban.
Sulfonation Chemistry
Sulfonation and amidation sequences lead to the benzenedisulfonamide core of hydrochlorothiazide.
Meta Chloroaniline against its near relatives
The three monochloroaniline isomers share a formula and differ sharply in route economics, physical handling and regulatory standing. The table below is the quick orientation; each has its own product page.
| Product | CAS Number | Typically Used In | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ortho Chloroaniline | 95-51-2 | Sulfonylurea herbicides, azo dyes, MOCA | Liquid, but freezes near 0 °C. |
| Meta Chloroaniline | 108-42-9 | Hydrochlorothiazide, miconazole, Orange GC Base | The product on this page — lowest volume, no CMR classification. |
| Para Chloroaniline | 106-47-8 | Chlorhexidine, phenylurea and benzoylurea actives | Solid, and classified as a Category 1B carcinogen in the EU. |
| 2,4-Dichloroaniline | 554-00-7 | Crop protection, azo dyes, pharmaceutical intermediates | The dichlorinated family — see its page for the full set. |
Exact physical constants and purity specifications are confirmed per batch on the certificate of analysis — treat the notes above as a sourcing guide rather than a specification sheet.
Safety classification at a glance
Based on GHS classification as commonly listed for this substance. This is a summary for orientation only — always work from the current safety data sheet supplied with your specific batch.
Toxic if swallowed.
Toxic in contact with skin.
Toxic if inhaled.
May cause damage to organs through prolonged or repeated exposure.
Very toxic to aquatic life.
Very toxic to aquatic life with long-lasting effects.
Danger — GHS06 toxic, GHS08 health hazard and GHS09 environment pictograms apply.
This classification is harmonised in Annex VI to CLP under the group entry for chloroanilines, Index number 612-010-00-8, with an M-factor of 10 for aquatic toxicity. Individual suppliers add skin sensitisation or eye irritation, and at least one classifies the inhalation endpoint one category more severely; work from the safety data sheet issued with your batch. Of the three monochloroaniline isomers this is the only one with no carcinogen or mutagen classification from any source. It is absorbed through intact skin and causes methaemoglobinaemia with possibly delayed onset. Transport is UN 2019, Class 6.1, Packing Group II.
Keeping it on spec between delivery and use
General storage guidance for this grade. Site-specific storage rules, segregation requirements and re-test intervals should follow your own EHS procedures and the MSDS issued with your batch.
Store in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area, protected from light, in tightly closed original containers away from oxidizers and strong acids. This is the most forgiving of the monochloroanilines to warehouse: it stays liquid and pumpable at any normal storage temperature, needing neither trace heating nor a melting step. Expect progressive darkening to brown during storage — documented as a colour change without loss of purity — so judge the material on its certificate of analysis rather than its appearance.
How it ships from Indonesia
Standard packing and export terms for this product. Confirm exact figures against your order — they vary slightly by destination and quantity.
What travels with every batch
Specification is agreed before the purchase order, not discovered on arrival. Every shipment of Meta Chloroaniline leaves with a documented, checkable paper trail.
Certificate of Analysis
Batch-wise assay (by GC), isomer purity, melting point range and moisture, issued against the agreed specification so your QC team can check it, not just file it.
Safety Data Sheet
GHS-format SDS in English covering hazard classification, handling, storage, first-aid and spill response for the exact grade shipped.
Technical Data Sheet
Reference physical and chemical properties, recommended storage and typical applications, for internal circulation to your process or R&D teams.
Certificate of Origin
Confirms Indonesian origin for customs clearance and any preferential-duty claim at your destination port.
Dangerous Goods Declaration
UN packing group, classification and shipper's declaration prepared ahead of loading so documentation never holds up customs.
Third-Party Inspection
Independent pre-shipment inspection and re-sampling can be arranged on request, at your cost, for buyers who require it as a matter of policy.
Frequently asked questions
What buyers most often ask our sales desk about this grade.
01What is Meta Chloroaniline used for?+
02What is the CAS number of Meta Chloroaniline?+
03What purity grades does Chelora Chemicals supply?+
04Is Meta Chloroaniline hazardous?+
05Why is Meta Chloroaniline more expensive than the ortho and para isomers?+
06Does this grade carry a carcinogen classification?+
07What packing options are available?+
08How long does delivery take?+
09Can I get a sample before placing a bulk order?+
10How is Meta Chloroaniline manufactured?+
11What is the shelf life, and how should it be stored?+
Need Meta Chloroaniline on spec, on time?
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