Office of Security, Safety and Risk Management
Reactivity Data
The information in this section should list circumstances if the material is subjected to could be hazardous . This information should include:
- Stability at room temperatures and atmospheric pressure
- Conditions to avoid, (e.g., elevated temperatures, moisture, etc.).
- Incompatibles, (chemicals that react violently with material or releases dangerous by-products).
- Decomposition products.
- Polymerization, (reaction in which one or more small molecules combine to form large molecules that may release large amounts of energy or burst the container).
Whenever you are handling a hazardous material, you must be familiar with the above information to avoid possible accidents resulting from not knowing the circumstances to avoid. You can handled the material more safely if you know how it will react to changes in temperature or contact with other materials.
If a material in not stable at room temperature, then you must store it in a refrigerator. If one of the conditions to avoid is sources of ignition, then do not use this material in the laboratory where burners are being used. If the material is sensitive to moisture, then consider storing it in a desiccator. If the chemical reacts with metals, do not store it on metals shelves. If the material reacts with natural rubber, then natural rubber gloves should not be worn when handling this material.
Hazardous materials may react with many substances to produce dangerous by-products. The example most people know about is the result of mixing bleach with ammonia. Both of these cleaning solution can be used safely if not mixed. But hydrogen chloride (toxic irritating gas) is released when sodium hypochlorite (bleach) is combined with ammonia.
Cyanide salts react with acids to produce the deadly gas of hydrogen cyanide. This real example shows how a accidental spill could have resulted in a major catastrophe. A three kilogram container of potassium cyanide was stored on the floor below several large bottles of glacial acetic acid. If one of the bottles of acetic acid had been knocked off its shelf, and broke on impact with the floor and the container of potassium cyanide, then the reaction with potassium cyanide could easily have caused the death of anyone entering the lab. These two chemicals should never be stored in close proximity.
To see examples of Reactivity sections click on Methylene chloride MSDS or Bromine MSDS.
Methylene chloride is stable and will not polymerize. However, you should avoid heat, flame, and moisture. It is incompatible with things like zinc, aluminum and water. The decomposition products include hydrogen chloride and phosgene.
Reading through this section of the Bromine MSDS should indicate to you how much more dangerous it is than methylene chloride. It is stable at room temperature and pressure in a closed container. But it will react with water producing hydrobromic acid and fumes of of hydrogen bromide. The list of 88 incompatibles includes: acetone (violent reaction); aluminum (violent reaction with dry bromine); diethyl ether (ignition or explosive reaction); organic materials (fire and explosion hazard); and natural rubber (violent reaction).
The decomposition of bromine may result in fumes of toxic hydrogen bromide. And bromine does polymerize with acrylonitrile resulting in a violent reaction.