9.2: Safety

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II. Safety of Chemicals¹

You will be handling a number of chemicals during this experiment, all of which must be treated with care in order to avoid harm to yourself or to the surroundings. None of these chemicals should be ingested or allowed to come in contact with your skin and eyes. You must take extra precautions to avoid breathing the vapors from these chemicals. Assume that all of these volatile organic chemicals are flammable and each could be irritable to the eyes, skin and respiratory system. Descriptions of each of the chemicals follow with a brief summary of their properties.

Methanol

Flammable liquid and vapor. Harmful if inhaled. May be fatal or cause blindness if swallowed. May cause central nervous system depression. May cause digestive tract irritation with nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Causes respiratory tract irritation. May cause liver, kidney and heart damage. Target Organs: Kidneys, heart, central nervous system, liver, eyes.

Ethanol

Flammable liquid and vapor. May cause central nervous system depression. Causes severe eye irritation. Causes respiratory tract irritation. Causes moderate skin irritation. This substance has caused adverse reproductive and fetal effects in humans. Warning! May cause liver, kidney and heart damage. Target Organs: Kidneys, heart, central nervous system, liver.

1-Propanol

Flammable volatile organic liquid. Harmful if swallowed, inhaled or absorbed through the skin, may affect central nervous system. Causes irritation to skin, eyes and respiratory tract. Aspiration may cause lung damage.

2-Propanol

May cause central nervous system depression. May form explosive peroxides. Flammable liquid and vapor. Hygroscopic. Causes respiratory tract irritation. Aspiration hazard if swallowed. This material has been reported to be susceptible to autoxidation and therefore should be classified as peroxidizable. Causes eye irritation. Breathing vapors may cause drowsiness and dizziness. Prolonged or repeated contact causes defatting of the skin with irritation, dryness, and cracking. Target Organs: Central nervous system, respiratory system, eyes, skin.

1-Butanol

An eye and skin irritant. A sensitizer, which is hazardous in case of contact with skin. Contact may be characterized by itching, redness and sometimes blister formation.

2-Butanol

Avoid direct heat, open flame. Avoid contact with strong oxidizing agents and strong acids and bases. Exposure can cause irritation to the respiratory tract, dizziness, headache, nausea, and narcosis. Liquid and high vapor concentrations can be irritating, and can cause conjunctivitis and corneal burns.

2-Methyl-1-Propanol

Flammable. Irritating to respiratory system and skin. Vapor may cause drowsiness and dizziness.

1-Pentanol

Hazardous irritant in case of skin (permeator) or eye contact. Hazardous in case of ingestion or inhalation.

1-Hexanol

An irritant if exposed to skin, eyes and respiratory tract. May cause inflammation in the eyes with characteristic redness, watering and itching. Repeated exposure can result in target organ damage.

1-Octanol

Skin, eye and respiratory tract irritant. Prolonged repeated skin contact may cause dermatitis.

3-Methyl-1-butanol

Highly flammable. High vapor concentrations are irritating to eyes and upper respiratory tract. Contact with skin may cause irritation.

Benzyl alcohol

Sensitizer slightly hazardous in case of skin contact. Repeated prolonged exposure can produce target organ damage. May be toxic to liver and central nervous system (CNS).

Benzoic Acid

Eye, skin and respiratory irritant. Dust and liquid may cause mild irritation and redness. Ingestion of large amounts can cause coughing, nausea and vomiting.

Formic Acid

Contact with the eyes causes severe burns. Could result in scarring and ulceration. Causes severe burns on skin contact. Can sensitize the skin causing an allergic reaction. Could result in blistering of the skin on contact. Ingestion or breathing in the vapor could cause sever burning in the digestive tract resulting in abdominal pain, vomiting and possible death. Vapors can cause dizziness, nausea, itching, burning, and swelling of the eyes.

Butyric Acid

Propanoic Acid

Acetic Acid

Hazardous in terms of contact with skin, eyes or respiratory system. Contact with skin could cause burns. The vapor or mist can produce tissue damage targets include the mucous membranes of the eyes, mouth, and respiratory tract. Inhalation could cause coughing, choking and shortness of breath. Eye inflammation will show up as redness, itching and watering. Skin inflammation is generally characterized by redness, itching and blistering. Repeated or prolonged breathing of the mist or vapor can result in respiratory tract irritation eventually leading to frequent attacks of bronchial infection.

Isobutryric Acid

Pentanoic Acid

Iso-Pentanoic Acid (3-Methyl-butanoic) (Isovaleric Acid)

Sulfuric Acid

Concentrated sulfuric acid is used in this lab and causes severe burns on skin and clothing. Do not inhale the vapor severe lung damage can result. An extremely corrosive acid handle carefully. Causes sever eye burns which could result in irreversible eye injury. A corrosive oxidizer may be fatal if inhaled, ingested or absorbed through the skin. If inhaled may cause severe damage to respiratory tract resulting in coughing, shortness of breath and delayed lung edema. Destructive to tissue in mucous membranes. Can cause severe burns to the respiratory tract. Prolonged breathing of the vapors may cause nosebleeds, chest pain, and bronchitis. Contact with many organic chemicals can cause fire and explosion.

Ester	BP °C	Density g/cm³	²⁰n_D	Aroma
Amyl acetate	149	0.876	1.4023	Banana
Benzyl acetate	212	1.054	15232	Peach
Butyl acetate	126.1	0.883	1.3941	Banana/Apple
Ethyl acetate	77.1	0.902	1.3724	Pear
Hexyl acetate	171.5	0.867	1.4092	Plum
Isoamyl acetate	142	0.876	1.4000	Banana
Isobutyl acetate	118	0.875	1.3902	Fruity/floral
Octyl acetate	203-211	0.868	± 1.4205	Orange
Prenyl acetate	149.7	0.917	± 1.4290	Juicy Fruit
Propyl acetate	102	0.888	1.3844	Pear
Ethyl benzoate	211-213	1.045	1.5040	Fruity
Amyl butyrate	186	0.883	1.4100	Apricot
Ethyl isobutyrate	112-113	0.865	1.387	Fruity
Butyl butyrate	165	0.869	± 1.4060	Pineapple
Ethyl butyrate	120-121	0.879	1.392	Pineapple
Isopentyl butyrate	184-185	0.862	1.411	Fruity
Methyl butyrate	102	0.898	1.385	Raspberry
Ethyl formate	54	0.921	1.3597	Rum
Isobutyl formate	98.4	0.885	1.385	Raspberry
Methyl isovalerate	116-117	0.881	± 1.3950	Perfumes
Methyl pentanoate	126	0.890	1.397	Fruity
Isoamyl valerate	204	0.872	± 1.4140	Apples
Ethyl propanoate	98.9	0.888	1.3844	Pineapple
Isobutyl propanoate	136.8	0.869	1.397	Rum
Methyl propanoate	80	0.915	1.3775	Rum like
Propyl propanoate	122-124	0.881	1.393	Pineapple

Table 1: Physical properties of some organic esters.

Sigma Aldrich & Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 84^th Edition, CRC Press

Footnotes

¹Various Material Safety Data Sheets: Mallinckrodt Chemicals, J. T. Baker, Phillipsburg, NJ; Fisher Scientific, MSDS, Pittsburgh, PA