Butyryl chloride

Toxic Gases & Vapors -> Other Toxic Gases & Vapors

Flammable agents - 3rd degree

Pungent acid chloride odor

Sharp odor

1.0277 at 68 °F (USCG, 1999) - Denser than water; will sink

1.0263 at 20.6 °C/4 °C

Reaction (NTP, 1992)

Dissolves slowly with decomposition in water

Dissolves slowly with decomposition in alcohol; miscible with ether

71 °F (NTP, 1992)

18 °C (64 °F) - closed cup

216 °F at 760 mmHg (NTP, 1992)

101-102 °C

-128 °F (NTP, 1992)

-89 °C

Danger

H225: Highly Flammable liquid and vapor [Danger Flammable liquids]

P210, P233, P240, P241, P242, P243, P260, P264, P280, P301+P330+P331, P302+P361+P354, P303+P361+P353, P304+P340, P305+P354+P338, P316, P321, P363, P370+P378, P403+P235, P405, and P501 (click each P-code to see the statement)

Danger

H225 (100%): Highly Flammable liquid and vapor [Danger Flammable liquids]

P210, P233, P234, P240, P241, P242, P243, P260, P261, P264, P264+P265, P270, P271, P280, P301+P317, P301+P330+P331, P302+P361+P354, P303+P361+P353, P304+P340, P305+P354+P338, P316, P317, P321, P330, P363, P370+P378, P390, P403+P233, P403+P235, P405, P406, and P501 (click each P-code to see the statement)

Chemical: Butanoyl chloride

Status: Active Update: 02-06-2022 https://echa.europa.eu/registration-dossier/-/registered-dossier/5853

Butyryl chloride: Does not have an individual approval but may be used under an appropriate group standard

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.)

Special Hazards of Combustion Products: Emits toxic fumes of chlorine gas (USCG, 1999)

· HIGHLY FLAMMABLE: Will be easily ignited by heat, sparks or flames.

Extremely destructive to the mucous membranes, upper respiratory tract, eyes, and skin. Inhalation may cause death as a result of spasm, inflammation and edema of the larynx and bronchi, chemical pneumonitis, and pulmonary edema. Symptoms of exposure include burning sensation, coughing, wheezing, laryngitis, shortness of breath, headache, nausea, and vomiting. (USCG, 1999)

· TOXIC and/or CORROSIVE; inhalation, ingestion or contact (skin, eyes) with vapors, dusts or substance may cause severe injury, burns or death.

Evolves HCl when spilled in water; [ERG 2016] A strong irritant; [HSDB] A severe skin, eye, and mucous membrane irritant; Inhalation may cause chemical pneumonitis and pulmonary edema; [CAMEO] A corrosive substance that can cause injury to the skin, eyes, and respiratory tract; Inhalation may cause edema and chemical pneumonitis; [MSDSonline]

BUTYRYL CHLORIDE slowly dissolves in water with decomposition and formation of a weakly acidic solution. May react vigorously or explosively if mixed with diisopropyl ether or other ethers in the presence of trace amounts of metal salts [J. Haz. Mat., 1981, 4, 291].

· 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.

· ELIMINATE all ignition sources (no smoking, flares, sparks or flames) from immediate area.

EYES: First check the victim for contact lenses and remove if present. Flush victim's eyes with water or normal saline solution for 20 to 30 minutes while simultaneously calling a hospital or poison control center. Do not put any ointments, oils, or medication in the victim's eyes without specific instructions from a physician. IMMEDIATELY transport the victim after flushing eyes to a hospital even if no symptoms (such as redness or irritation) develop.

General First Aid:

Reacts with alcohol and water.

... Corrosive.

· 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].

Suitable extinguishing media: Use water spray, alcohol-resistant foam, dry chemical or carbon dioxide.

Advice for firefighters: Wear self-contained breathing apparatus for firefighting if necessary.

Use water spray to cool unopened containers.

ACCIDENTAL RELEASE MEASURES: Personal precautions, protective equipment and emergency procedures: Wear respiratory protection. Avoid breathing vapors, mist or gas. Ensure adequate ventilation. Remove all sources of ignition. Evacuate personnel to safe areas. Beware of vapors accumulating to form explosive concentrations. Vapors can accumulate in low 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: Contain spillage, and then collect with an electrically protected vacuum cleaner or by wet-brushing and place in container for disposal according to local regulations.

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: Burn in a chemical incinerator equipped with an afterburner and scrubber but exert extra care in igniting as this material is highly flammable. 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.

ACCIDENTAL RELEASE MEASURES: Personal precautions, protective equipment and emergency procedures: Wear respiratory protection. Avoid breathing vapors, mist or gas. Ensure adequate ventilation. Remove all sources of ignition. Evacuate personnel to safe areas. Beware of vapors accumulating to form explosive concentrations. Vapors can accumulate in low areas. Environmental precautions: Prevent further leakage or spillage if safe to do so. Do not let product enter drains.

Precautions for safe handling: Avoid contact with skin and eyes. Avoid inhalation of vapor or mist. Use explosion-proof equipment. Keep away from sources of ignition. No smoking. Take measures to prevent the build up of electrostatic charge.

Appropriate engineering controls: Avoid contact with skin, eyes and clothing. Wash hands before breaks and immediately after handling the product.

Gloves must be inspected prior to use. Use proper glove removal technique (without touching glove's outer surface) to avoid skin contact with this product. Dispose of contaminated gloves after use in accordance with applicable laws and good laboratory practices. Wash and dry hands.

Excerpt from ERG Guide 155 [Substances - Toxic and/or Corrosive (Flammable / Water-Sensitive)]:

Immediate precautionary measure

When spilled in water

When spilled in water

TERRESTRIAL FATE: n-Butyryl chloride decomposes in water to yield hydrochloric acid and butyric acid(1), therefore, leaching in soil and volatilization from moist soil for the parent compound are not expected to be important fate processes(SRC). n-Butyryl chloride is expected to volatilize from dry soil surfaces(SRC) based upon a vapor pressure of 41.7 mm Hg at 25 °C(1).

AQUATIC FATE: n-Butyryl chloride decomposes exothermically in water to yield hydrochloric acid(1). This decomposition reaction will be the dominant fate process in water(SRC).

ATMOSPHERIC FATE: According to a model of gas/particle partitioning of semivolatile organic compounds in the atmosphere(1), n-butyryl chloride, which has a vapor pressure of 41.7 mm Hg at 25 °C(2), is expected to exist solely as a vapor in the ambient atmosphere. Vapor-phase n-butyryl chloride is degraded in the atmosphere by reaction with photochemically-produced hydroxyl radicals(SRC); the half-life for this reaction in air is estimated to be 4.1 days(SRC), calculated from its rate constant of 3.9X10-12 cu cm/molecule-sec at 25 °C(SRC) that was derived using a structure estimation method(3). n-Butyryl chloride fumes in air and decomposes in water to yield hydrochloric acid and butyric acid(2); therefore, n-butyryl chloride vapor in air can react with moisture in air.

EPA has released the Interactive Chemical Safety for Sustainability (iCSS) Dashboard. The iCSS Dashboard provides an interactive tool to explore rapid, automated (or in vitro high-throughput) chemical screening data generated by the Toxicity Forecaster (ToxCast) project and the federal Toxicity Testing in the 21st century (Tox21) collaboration. /The title compound was tested by ToxCast and/or Tox21 assays/[USEPA; ICSS Dashboard Application; Available from, as of May 1, 2017: http://actor.epa.gov/dashboard/]

n-Butyryl chloride's production and use in organic synthesis(1) may result in its release to the environment through various waste streams(SRC). Butyryl chloride is used as an intermediate for the synthesis of active pharmaceutical ingredients benzoyl peroxide, t-butyl perbenzoate, and benzophenone(2). It is used as an acylation reagent and it is involved in the preparation of chromones and antiproliferative agents(2).

n-Butyryl chloride decomposes in water to yield hydrochloric acid adn butyric acid(1), therefore, volatilization of n-butyryl chloride from water or moist soil is not expected to be an important fate process(SRC). n-Butyryl chloride is expected to volatilize from dry soil surfaces(SRC) based upon a vapor pressure of 41.7 mm Hg at 25 °C(1).

The rate constant for the vapor-phase reaction of n-butyryl chloride with photochemically-produced hydroxyl radicals has been estimated as 3.9X10-12 cu cm/molecule-sec at 25 °C(SRC) using a structure estimation method(1). This corresponds to an atmospheric half-life of about 4.1 days at an atmospheric concentration of 5X10+5 hydroxyl radicals per cu cm(1). n-Butyryl chloride fumes in air(2). It decomposes exothermically in water to yield corrosive hydrochloric acid. Based on a scenario where the chemical is spilled into an excess of water (at least 5 fold excess of water), half of the maximum theoretical yield of hydrogen chloride gas will be created in 0.47 minutes(2).

Occupational exposure to n-butyryl chloride may occur through inhalation and dermal contact with this compound at workplaces where n-butyryl chloride is produced or used. Available use data indicate that the general population is not exposed to n-butyryl chloride. (SRC)

n-Butyryl chloride's production and use in organic synthesis may result in its release to the environment through various waste streams. If released to air, a vapor pressure of 41.7 mm Hg at 25 °C indicates n-butyryl chloride will exist solely as a vapor in the atmosphere. Vapor-phase n-butyryl chloride will be degraded in the atmosphere by reaction with photochemically-produced hydroxyl radicals; the half-life for this reaction in air is estimated to be 4.1 days. n-Butyryl chloride fumes in air and can react with moisture in air. If released to soil, leaching in soil and volatilization from moist soil are not expected to be important fate processes because n-butyryl chloride reacts and decomposes in water. n-Butyryl chloride is expected to volatilize from dry soil surfaces based upon its vapor pressure. If released into water, n-butyryl chloride decomposes exothermically to yield hydrochloric acid and butyric acid. This decomposition reaction will be the dominant fate process in water. Occupational exposure to n-butyryl chloride may occur through inhalation and dermal contact with this compound at workplaces where n-butyryl chloride is produced or used. Available use data indicate that the general population is not exposed to n-butyryl chloride. (SRC)

Used for organic synthesis; [HSDB]

Toxic Gas from Spilling Chemical in Water [Category: Other]

Organic synthesis.