1,1,1-Trichloroethane (CAS 71-55-6): storage and disposal

Sodium metal, potassium metal, lithium metal and sodium azide are the materials to keep away from it. Alkali metals can react explosively with chlorinated solvents, and azides can form explosive azidoalkanes with halogenated solvents. Although the class is general, the stock should still sit in a dry, labelled, well organised store on a tray, not in the open prep room. Because it harms the ozone layer, it should never be vented or left in an open container. Date any bottle that still lacks a date of receipt and add it to the record.

Few visible signs of age appear in a clear solvent like this one, so the container and paperwork carry the evidence. A technician looks for a stopper that will not turn, a perished cap liner, a label printed with an old product name and hazard symbols that no longer match current rules, and a level below the original mark. A sweet smell near the cupboard shows a seal is failing. Bottles that have been decanted into smaller ones are the biggest source of confusion, since the new label may be handwritten and incomplete.

By specialist collection only. It never goes down the drain or into general waste. It is normally packed in a non-regulated or low hazard laboratory pack with compatible chemicals.

Start with the code that fits: 16 05 06* for a laboratory pack, or 16 05 08* for a loose discarded organic chemical not sent in a pack. Then describe the bottle honestly, including its old label and any handwritten replacement. This solvent is never to be poured into a sink or drain, released to the air or left to evaporate, and nobody should try to treat it. It leaves by specialist collection grouped with compatible chlorinated organics. Because the ozone-depleting classification is part of its description, mention it when you list the bottle.

Usually held as: legacy stock.

Part-used bottles and full containers are both fine. Tell us the size and how many, and an estimate is enough for a first price.