Methylene chloride

CAS 75-09-2

Methylene chloride is a decaffeination solvent. Coffee decaffeinated with it is the reason the phrase chemically decaffeinated exists — though the solvent is driven off long before roasting, which itself happens at temperatures far above its boiling point.

Where it is and isn’t permitted

Status of Methylene chloride by jurisdiction. Every jurisdiction this site covers is listed, including those where the substance does not appear.
JurisdictionStatusScope and limitsCitation
United StatesFood and Drug AdministrationPermitted, with conditions21 CFR 173.255retrieved 2026-09-07
Codex AlimentariusCodex Alimentarius Commission / JECFANot listedDoes not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited.

What it is made from

Produced by chlorinating methane. Residue limits in decaffeinated coffee are set in parts per million, and roasting removes most of what little remains.

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian
CAS registry number
75-09-2
InChIKey
YMWUJEATGCHHMB-UHFFFAOYSA-N
PubChem
CID 6344

Every name it appears under

63 recorded names. A label may use any of them.

CAS registry number

  • 75-09-2

As it appears in regulation

  • Methylene chloride

Other names

  • 588X2YUY0A
  • Aerothene MM
  • Bichloride, Methylene
  • BRN 1730800
  • Caswell No. 568
  • CCRIS 392
  • Chloride, Methylene
  • Chlorodorm D
  • Chlorure de methylene
  • dichioromethane
  • dichlor-methane
  • Dichloride, Methylene
  • dichlormetane
  • Dichlormethan
  • Dichlormethane
  • dichloro methane
  • dichloro-methane
  • dichloromeihane
  • dichlorometan
  • dichlorometane
  • dichloromethan
  • DICHLOROMETHANE
  • Dichloromethane (Methylenechloride)
  • DICHLOROMETHANE, ACS
  • Dichloromethane, HPLC Grade
  • DICHLOROMETHANE, NF
  • dichloromethane; methylene chloride
  • dichoromethane
  • dicloromethane
  • Driverit
  • EPA Pesticide Chemical Code 042004
  • F 30 (chlorocarbon)
  • Freon 30
  • HCC 30
  • HSDB 66
  • Khladon 30
  • Metaclen
  • Methane dichloride
  • Methane, dichloro-
  • Methoklone
  • Methylenchlorid
  • methylenchoride
  • Methylene bichloride
  • Methylene chloride
  • Methylene chloride (NF)
  • Methylene chloride; Dichloromethane; DCM
  • methylene dichloride
  • Methylenechloride
  • Methylenum chloratum
  • metylenchloride
  • Metylenu chlorek
  • Narkotil
  • Nevolin
  • R30 (refrigerant)
  • RCRA waste no. U080
  • RCRA waste number U080
  • Salesthin
  • Solaesthin
  • Soleana VDA
  • Solmethine

Systematic names

  • Dichlormethane

Hazard reference values

No reference value for this substance in the sources we hold.

Evidence and how bodies read it

Studies, and the differing conclusions regulators drew from them, are curated by hand rather than machine-read, and none has been written for this substance yet.

Sources for this page

  • ecfr retrieved 2026-09-07

Full licence terms and publisher details on Sources. How this page is built and updated: Method.

Machine-readable:/api/v1/additives/methylene-chloride.json