Schwefeltetrafluorid

Toxic Gases & Vapors -> Corrosive Gases

Corrosives

Irritating odor that resembles sulfur dioxide

Distinct sulfur odor

1.95 at -108 °F (EPA, 1998) - Denser than water; will sink

Liquid at -78 °C: 1.95 g/mL; solid at -183 °C: 2.349 g/mL

1.95 at -108 °F

1.95 @ -78°C

3.78(relative gas density)

Reacts with water (NIOSH, 2024)

Freely sol in benzene

Solubility in water: reaction

Reacts

Attacks glass, but not quartz or mercury

.. its corrosive action on metals can result in formation of hydrogen in containers & piping to create fire hazard

Attacks glass and metal

-40 °F at 760 mmHg (EPA, 1998)

-38 °C

-40 °C

-41 °F

-38 °C @760 [mm Hg]

-41 °F

-191 °F (EPA, 1998)

-121.0 °C

-124 °C

-185 °F

-121 °C

-185 °F

3.78 (NIOSH, 2024) - Heavier than air; will sink (Relative to Air)

3.78 (Air = 1)

Relative vapor density (air = 1): 3.78

3.78

Danger

H280 (100%): Contains gas under pressure; may explode if heated [Warning Gases under pressure]

P260, P261, P264, P271, P280, P284, P301+P330+P331, P302+P361+P354, P304+P340, P305+P354+P338, P316, P319, P320, P321, P363, P403+P233, P405, P410+P403, and P501 (click each P-code to see the statement)

Aggregated GHS information provided per 111 reports by companies from 4 notifications to the ECHA C&L Inventory. Each notification may be associated with multiple companies.

Danger

H280: Contains gas under pressure; may explode if heated [Warning Gases under pressure]

Chemical: Sulfur fluoride (SF4), (T-4)-

The New Jersey Worker and Community Right to Know Act requires public and private employers to provide information about hazardous substances at their workplaces. (N.J.S.A. 34:5A-1 et. seq.)

Container may explode in heat of fire. When heated to decomposition, it emits very toxic fumes of fluorides and sulfur oxides. Reacts violently with water. It is decomposed by concentrated sulfuric acid. Thermostable to 1112F. (EPA, 1998)

· Some may burn but none ignite readily.

Gives off irritating or toxic fumes (or gases) in a fire. Not combustible.

This material is highly toxic by inhalation; it is a strong irritant to eyes and mucous membranes. Poisonous; may be fatal if inhaled. Contact may cause burns to skin and eyes. Contact with liquid may cause frostbite. (EPA, 1998)

· TOXIC and/or CORROSIVE; may be fatal if inhaled, ingested or absorbed through skin.

May cause skin burns (from SF4 releasing hydrofluoric acid on exposure to moisture); [NIOSH] After an industrial accident, six exposed workers developed cough, dyspnea, and chest tightness. Symptoms resolved within one to four weeks. [ACGIH] Possible frostbite from contact with liquid; [NIOSH] A corrosive substance that can cause pulmonary edema; Evaporating liquid can cause frostbite; May cause fluorosis; [ICSC] See FLUORIDES.

2418 125

2418 125

SULFUR TETRAFLUORIDE is a highly toxic and corrosive gas. On contact with water, steam, or mineral acids it decomposes and produces toxic and highly irritating fumes. When heated to decomposition it emits very toxic fluoride and sulfur oxides fumes [Lewis, 3rd ed., 1993, p. 1197]. Explosively violent reactions with 2-(hydroxymethyl)furan or 2-methyl-3-butyn-2-ol even below -50 °C have been recorded [Bretherick, 5th ed., 1995, p. 1432]. Ignition or explosion may occur on contact with dioxygen difluoride even below -100 °C [Streng, A. G., Chem. Rev., 1963, 63, p. 615].

Keep unnecessary people away; isolate hazard area and deny entry. Stay upwind; keep out of low areas. Ventilate closed spaces before entering them. Wear positive pressure breathing apparatus and full protective clothing. Evacuate area endangered by gas.

NO water. In case of fire in the surroundings, use appropriate extinguishing media. In case of fire: keep cylinder cool by spraying with water. NO direct contact with water.

Fresh air, rest. Half-upright position. Artificial respiration may be needed. Refer for medical attention.

ON FROSTBITE: rinse with plenty of water, do NOT remove clothes. Rinse skin with plenty of water or shower. Refer for medical attention .

First rinse with plenty of water for several minutes (remove contact lenses if easily possible), then refer for medical attention.

· CALL 911. Then call emergency response telephone number on shipping paper. If shipping paper not available or no answer, refer to appropriate telephone number listed on the inside back cover.

· Do not touch or walk through spilled material.

Warning: Sulfur tetrafluoride is a highly irritating and corrosive gas.

General First Aid:

(General first aid procedures)

· Wear positive pressure self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA).

TIH (Toxic Inhalation Hazard) - Term used to describe gases and volatile liquids that are toxic when inhaled. Some are TIH materials themselves, e.g., chlorine, and some release TIH gases when spilled in water, e.g., chlorosilanes. [ERG 2016].

Wear self-contained breathing apparatus for firefighting if necessary.

Dry powder

If material involved in fire: Extinguish fire using agent suitable for type of surrounding fire. (Material itself does not burn or burns with difficulty). Do not use water. Cool all affected containers with flooding quantities of water. Apply water from as far a distance as possible. Use "alcohol" foam, dry chemical or carbon dioxide. Do not apply water to point of leak in tank car or container.

Hydrogen fluoride should be stored in cool, dry, well ventilated areas out of the direct rays of the sun. /Hydrofluoric acid/

Keep container tightly closed in a dry and well-ventilated place. Never allow product to get in contact with water during storage. Contents under pressure. Storage class (TRGS 510): Gases

/ACCIDENTAL RELEASE MEASURES/ Personal precautions, protective equipment and emergency procedures: Wear respiratory protection. Avoid breathing vapours, mist or gas. Ensure adequate ventilation. Evacuate personnel to safe areas. Environmental precautions: Prevent further leakage or spillage if safe to do so. Do not let product enter drains. Methods and materials for containment and cleaning up: Do not flush with water.

SRP: Recycle any unused portion of the material for its approved use or return it to the manufacturer or supplier. Ultimate disposal of the chemical must consider: the material's impact on air quality; potential migration in air, soil or water; effects on animal, aquatic and plant life; and conformance with environmental and public health regulations. If it is possible or reasonable use an alternative chemical product with less inherent propensity for occupational harm/injury/toxicity or environmental contamination.

Product: Offer surplus and non-recyclable solutions to a licensed disposal company. Contact a licensed professional waste disposal service to dispose of this material. Contaminated packaging: Dispose of as unused product.

TERRESTRIAL FATE: Based on a classification scheme(1), an estimated Koc value of 27(SRC), determined from a structure estimation method(2), indicates that sulfur tetrafluoride is expected to have very high mobility in soil(SRC). Volatilization of sulfur tetrafluoride from moist soil surfaces would be expected to be an important fate process(SRC) given the compound is a gas with a vapor pressure of 1.52X10+4 mm Hg at 25 °C(3). However, sulfur tetrafluoride reacts rapidly with water(3); therefore, rapid hydrolysis will attenuate the importance of volatilization from moist soil and leaching(SRC). Sulfur tetrafluoride is expected to volatilize from dry soil surfaces based upon its vapor pressure(SRC). Biodegradation data were not available(SRC, 2015).

AQUATIC FATE: Based on a classification scheme(1), an estimated Koc value of 27(SRC), determined from a structure estimation method(2), indicates that sulfur tetrafluoride is not expected to adsorb to suspended solids and sediment(SRC). Sulfur tetrafluoride reacts rapidly with water to yield hydrofluoric acid and thionyl fluoride(3). Therefore, volatilization from water and biocentration are not expected to be an important fate processes(SRC). Biodegradation data were not available(SRC, 2015).

ATMOSPHERIC FATE: According to a model of gas/particle partitioning of semivolatile organic compounds in the atmosphere(1), sulfur tetrafluoride, which has a vapor pressure of 1.52X10+4 mm Hg at 25 °C(2), is expected to exist solely as a gas in the ambient atmosphere. Sulfur tetrafluoride is a relatively heavy gas with a vapor density 3.78 times that of air(3). Therefore, if released in the atmosphere, it may tend to remain close to the ground and be transported to earth by wet deposition(SRC). Sulfur tetrafluoride reacts rapidly with water to yield hydrofluoric acid and thionyl fluoride(2). It also reacts and fumes in moist air(2). Therefore, hydrolysis is expected to be an important fate process in the ambient atmosphere(SRC).

The substance can be absorbed into the body by inhalation.

inhalation, skin and/or eye contact

IDENTIFICATION AND USE: Sulfur tetrafluoride (SF4) is a colorless gas. It is used as a selective fluorinating agent, capable of replacing oxygen in many organic, inorganic, and organometallic compounds with fluorine. It is also used in the production of water- and oil-repellant materials and lubricity improvers. HUMAN EXPOSURE AND TOXICITY: SF4 exerts severe local effects upon inhalation at rather low exposure levels, most probably due to respiratory tract irritation. Eye-irritating properties are suggested by a case study, in which workers were exposed to the breakdown products of sulphur hexafluoride. ANIMAL STUDIES: Local effects in the respiratory tract were found in a rat study at 4 ppm (18 mg/cu m).

Burning sensation. Cough. Sore throat. Headache. Nausea. Vomiting. Shortness of breath. Laboured breathing. Symptoms may be delayed.

Pain. Redness. Skin burns. ON CONTACT WITH LIQUID: FROSTBITE.

Redness. Pain. Blurred vision. Severe deep burns. ON CONTACT WITH LIQUID: FROSTBITE.

irritation eyes, skin, mucous membrane; eye, skin burns (from SF4 releasing hydrofluoric acid on exposure to moisture); liquid: frostbite; In Animals: dyspnea (breathing difficulty), lassitude (weakness, exhaustion), rhinorrhea (discharge of thin nasal mucus)

Using a structure estimation method based on molecular connectivity indices(1), the Koc of sulfur tetrafluoride can be estimated to be 27(SRC). According to a classification scheme(2), this estimated Koc value suggests that sulfur tetrafluoride is expected to have very high mobility in soil. Sulfur tetrafluoride reacts rapidly with water(3), therefore, leaching in moist soils will be attenuated by hydrolysis(SRC).

/SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS/ ...the compound exerts severe local effects upon inhalation at rather low exposure levels, most probably due to respiratory tract irritation. Moreover, eye-irritating properties are suggested by a case study, in which workers were exposed to the breakdown products of sulphur hexafluoride.

/CASE REPORTS/ Six electrical workers accidentally exposed to degradation products of sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) during electrical repair work were followed up for one year. One degradation product, sulfur tetrafluoride (SF4), was identified from worksite measurements. Unprotected exposure in an underground enclosed space occurred for six hours over a 12 hour period. Initial symptoms included shortness of breath, chest tightness, productive cough, nose and eye irritation, headache, fatigue, nausea, and vomiting. Symptoms subsided when exposure was interrupted during attempts to identify the cause of the problem. Although exposure ended after several hours, four workers remained symptomatic for between one week and one month. Pulmonary radiographic abnormalities included several discrete areas of transitory platelike atelectasis in one worker, and a slight diffuse infiltrate in the left lower lobe of another. One worker showed transient obstructive changes in tests of pulmonary function. Examination at follow up after one year showed no persistent abnormalities.

/OTHER TOXICITY INFORMATION/ In view of the violent reaction of sulphur tetrafluoride with water, systemic exposure to this compound itself may be deemed negligible. Systemic exposure to hydrogen fluoride, sulphur dioxide, and thionyl dioxide - hydrolysis products - will, however, occur.

Sulfur tetrafluoride's production and use as a selective fluorinating agent(1), as a treatment to increase the water repellency of polymeric materials, in the preparation of high-lubricity elastomers, and for treatment of carbon blacks to prepare improved rubber vulcanizates(2) may result in its release to the environment through various waste streams(SRC). Sulfur tetrafluoride can be formed as a degradation product of high temperature decomposition of sulfur hexafluoride(3).

Sulfur tetrafluoride reacts rapidly with water to yield hydrofluoric acid and thionyl fluoride(1). Therefore, volatilization from water is not expected to be an important fate process(SRC). Sulfur tetrafluoride is a gas with vapor pressure of 1.52X10+4 mm Hg at 25 °C(1). Therefore, volatilization from moist soil surfaces would be expected to occur; however, rapid hydrolysis will attenuate the importance of volatilization from moist soil(SRC). Sulfur tetrafluoride is expected to volatilize from dry soil surfaces based upon its vapor pressure(SRC).

/LABORATORY ANIMALS: Acute Exposure/ ... Four hours of respiratory exposure to 19 ppm ( 86 mg/cu m ) caused death in one of 2 exposed rats, while all 2 rats survived a 1-hour exposure to 40 ppm ( 180 mg/cu m ). Further, rats repeatedly exposed to 4 ppm ( 18 mg/cu m ; 4 hours/day for 10 days over a 12-day period) showed signs of 'respiratory embarrassment'. Two rats sacrificed immediately after the 10th exposure, showed pulmonary damage, while rats allowed to recover for 14 days showed no clinical and anatomical lesion.

/ALTERNATIVE and IN VITRO TESTS/ Using quadrupole mass spectrometric analysis of sparked sulfur hexafluoride over energy and pressure ranges of 4-94 kj and 40-233 kPa, respectively, the by-products include sulfur tetrafluoride. The cytotoxic activity of certain of the more abundant decomposition products (prepared as mixtures of the specified by- product SF6) toward the Chinese hamster lung cells using a colony formation assay were investigated. Sulfur fluoride exhibited no sigificant cytotoxic activity at 0.5% concentration, although concentrations of 1 and 2% showed definite cytotoxicity, particularly after 4 hr of exposure.

Releases of CERCLA hazardous substances are subject to the release reporting requirement of CERCLA section 103, codified at 40 CFR part 302, in addition to the requirements of 40 CFR part 355. Sulfur tetrafluoride is an extremely hazardous substance (EHS) subject to reporting requirements when stored in amounts in excess of its threshold planning quantity (TPQ) of 100 lbs.

Sulfur tetrafluoride

1

2500

1.33

15

Toxic chemical that can be released at a facility.

A study /was conducted/ to determine the absorption of inhaled hydrofluoric acid. Two human subjects were exposed for an 8 hour period in an industrial environment to fluorides consisting primarily of hydrogen fluoride and silicon tetrafluoride at an average airborne concentration of 3.8 mg F/cu m. Urine specimens were collected at 2 hour intervals during exposure and or approximately 2 days afterwards. There was a rapid rise in urinary fluoride excretion during exposure, and a peak output was reached in 2-4 hours after cessation of exposure. Within 24 hours, the urinary fluoride levels returned practically to base levels, although a slight elevation persisted into the following day. The total amounts of fluoride excreted daily by the two subjects were as follows: day of exposure, 9.64 and 8.56 mg fluoride; first day after exposure, 1.67 and 2.49; second day, 0.99 and 1.31; and third day, 0.89 and 1.34. The baseline daily urinary fluoride excretions before exposure were 0.9 and 1.2 mg fluoride, respectively. /Hydrofluoric acid/

Used as a fluorine donor in chemical reactions to produce water-repellant materials, pesticides, and other organic and inorganic compounds; [ACGIH]

Sulfur tetrafluoride ... can be used for the controlled introduction of fluorine into organic compounds.

Selective fluorinating agent.

Fluorinating agent for making water and oil repellants and lubricity improvers.

Sulfur tetrafluoride is also quite useful for converting metal oxides into fluorides.

For more Uses (Complete) data for SULFUR TETRAFLUORIDE (8 total), please visit the HSDB record page.

/Commercial production:/ Direct combination of sulfur with elemental fluorine.

First prepared from cobalt trifluoride and elemental sulfur.

In the laboratory, sulfur tetrafluoride is made by combining SCl2 and NaF suspended in acetonitrile at ca 77 °C.

Sulfur fluoride (SF4), (T-4)-: ACTIVE

... Degradation products /of sulfur hexafluoride/ ... are produced when electrical arcing occurs. The specific compounds produced depend on the arcing conditions. In anaerobic and anhydrous circumstances, sulfur tetrafluoride (SF4) is produced ... .