Tetrachloroethylene is a colourless liquid with a mildly sweet odour, resembling diethyl ether or chloroform. The odour can be intense and unpleasant at high concentrations. It will not burn but it can decompose at high temperatures forming toxic gases such as hydrogen chloride, chlorine and phosgene. Closed containers may rupture and explode if heated releasing toxic gases or vapours. The vapours can accumulate in low lying areas. Tetrachloroethylene is TOXIC. The vapour causes irritation of the eyes, nose and throat. It is a central nervous system depressant. The vapour may cause headache, nausea, dizziness, drowsiness, incoordination, and confusion. High vapour concentrations may cause unconsciousness and death. Tetrachloroethylene may cause liver damage. It causes skin irritation. It is an aspiration hazard - swallowing or vomiting of the liquid may result in aspiration (breathing) into the lungs. Tetrachloroethylene is a SUSPECT CANCER HAZARD - may cause cancer, based on human information.

Tetrachloroethylene is used mainly as a chemical intermediate, in cold cleaning and vapour degreasing of metals, as a solvent for dry cleaning and for textile finishing and dyeing. It is also used as a transformer insulating fluid, for chemical maskant formulations, as a process solvent for desulfurizing coal, as a general industrial solvent, and to remove soot from industrial boilers. It has historically been used in the treatment of hookworm and some nematode infestations, but has been replaced by drugs which are less toxic and easier to administer.

Tetrachloroethylene is available commercially in a number of grades, including a vapour degreasing grade, a dry-cleaning grade, an industrial grade for use in formulations, a high purity, low residue grade, a spectrophotometric grade and a grade specifically formulated for use as a transformer fluid. The various grades differ in the amount and type of added stabilizers. It typically has a purity of 95% or more for dry-cleaning and industrial grades, 99% or more for more refined grades, and 99.995% for isomerization and fluorocarbon grades. Trichloroethylene may be present as an impurity. Stabilizers are added to prevent decomposition by air, light, moisture and corrosion of aluminum, iron and zinc, and include amines, mixtures of epoxides and esters or phenols in various combinations at levels of 0.01 to 0.35%. Because of the high stability of tetrachloroethylene only minor amounts of stabilizers are required.

Tetrachloroethylene is also known as ethylene tetrachloride, PCE, perc, perchlor, perchlorethylene, perchloroethylene, perk, tetrachloroethene, tetrachlorethylene, 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethylene.

Its CAS Registry Number is 127-18-4. This number is assigned by the Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) in the United States and is used as a unique identifier number world-wide.