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Chemical collection and stock control for UK schools, universities and hospitals

2-Chloro-2-methylpropane (CAS 507-20-0): storage and disposal

2-Chloro-2-methylpropane, better known as tert-butyl chloride, is kept neat in school, college and university prep rooms, usually for rate or substitution demonstrations. It is classified as highly flammable and carries no further hazard statements, so the stock decision is about fire and volatility. It evaporates readily, which explains most of what a technician finds on the shelf.

CAS number
507-20-0
Form
Liquid
Storage class
Flammable
Signal word
Danger
Usual EWC code
16 05 06*
  • Flammable pictogramFlammable

What to do this week

  1. Check the label is readable and write down the opened date if it is not already there.
  2. Check it is stored as flammable stock and apart from the items listed under "Do not store with".
  3. If you no longer need it, add it to your disposal list so it goes on the next collection.

Safe storage in a school or lab

A shelf check a technician can make quickly is the closure: look for visible cap damage, residue or signs of leakage without disturbing the bottle, because this liquid is volatile and can escape through a poor liner. It belongs in the ventilated fire-resistant flammables cabinet, on a tray and away from ignition sources, oxidisers, oxidising acids and leaking corrosive stock. Teaching stock is often a small bottle that has been used for one term's experiment and then forgotten, so record the date of last use. Name it by both the systematic and the tert-butyl name on the label.

How to tell it has deteriorated

What looks normal is a clear, colourless liquid, sitting at a level close to the mark. What does not look normal is a bottle that has lost much of its contents through a failed cap, a label stained by drips, a ring of residue at the neck, or a container that bulges or has sucked in its walls. Tertiary halides react readily with moisture, so a bottle that has been left open to the damp may smell sharper than expected. Record any such change and leave the bottle on its tray.

How it must be disposed of

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

List it under the full name and add tert-butyl chloride, since old labels often use that name alone. Give the bottle size and level, and mention any bulging or cap damage, because a sealed bottle of this volatile liquid can hold pressure in a warm room. The collector groups it with compatible halogenated flammable liquids, and specialist collection is the only way out. A bottle is not emptied away, left to evaporate in a fume cupboard or treated beforehand. In a lab pack the code is 16 05 06*. Sent loose as a discarded organic chemical it is 16 05 08*.

Waste codes and transport details for 2-Chloro-2-methylpropane
EWC code, laboratory chemicals16 05 06*
Discarded organic chemical, not a laboratory pack16 05 08*
Hazardous wasteYes

20 01 13* (solvents) belongs to municipal collections and is shown for reference only. It is not the normal code for a laboratory collection.

The code depends on where the waste came from and what it is mixed with. Use the waste code finder to see why.

Do not store with

  • OxidiserOxidisers can ignite flammable materials or make a fire far more intense.
  • AcidOxidising acids can ignite flammable materials, and acid fumes attack containers and seals.
  • CorrosiveA leak of corrosive stock can break down flammable containers and feed a fire.

Named chemicals to keep apart

  • Acetic acidOxidising acids can ignite flammable materials, and acid fumes attack containers and seals.
  • Calcium hypochloriteOxidisers can ignite flammable materials or make a fire far more intense.
  • Hydrochloric acidOxidising acids can ignite flammable materials, and acid fumes attack containers and seals.
  • Hydrogen peroxideOxidisers can ignite flammable materials or make a fire far more intense.
  • Nitric acidOxidising acids can ignite flammable materials, and acid fumes attack containers and seals.
  • Potassium nitrateOxidisers can ignite flammable materials or make a fire far more intense.
  • Potassium permanganateOxidisers can ignite flammable materials or make a fire far more intense.
  • Sulfuric acidOxidising acids can ignite flammable materials, and acid fumes attack containers and seals.
Show 2 more
  • Thionyl chlorideA leak of corrosive stock can break down flammable containers and feed a fire.
  • Zinc chlorideA leak of corrosive stock can break down flammable containers and feed a fire.

Common quantities we collect

Usually held as: neat.

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.

Where it is commonly held

Hazard statements

  • H225 Highly flammable liquid and vapour.
Precautionary statements
  • P210 Keep away from heat, hot surfaces, sparks, open flames and other ignition sources. No smoking.
  • P233 Keep container tightly closed.
  • P240 Ground and bond container and receiving equipment.
  • P241 Use explosion-proof electrical, ventilating and lighting equipment.
  • P242 Use non-sparking tools.
  • P243 Take action to prevent static discharges.
  • P280 Wear protective gloves, protective clothing, eye protection and face protection.
  • P303+P361+P353 IF ON SKIN (or hair): Take off immediately all contaminated clothing. Rinse skin with water or shower.
  • P370+P378 In case of fire: Use suitable extinguishing media to extinguish.
  • P403+P235 Store in a well-ventilated place. Keep cool.
  • P501 Dispose of contents and container in accordance with local, regional, national and international regulations.

Substance as classified, dilutions may differ.

Questions

Is 2-chloro-2-methylpropane the same as tert-butyl chloride?

Yes, they are two names for the same liquid. Use both on the stock record and the collection list so that nobody records it twice or misses it when counting flammable stock.

Its only classification is highly flammable. Can it go on a normal shelf?

No. A highly flammable liquid belongs in a ventilated fire-resistant cabinet, away from ignition sources and oxidisers, whatever else it is or is not classified for. Use a spill tray and keep the cap firmly seated.

Why has the level dropped in our bottle?

It is a volatile liquid and evaporates through worn cap liners. A falling level is the most common sign of an old bottle. Check the closure, keep it in the flammables cabinet and list it for collection if unused.

Guidance only. Check your own risk assessment and your supplier's safety data sheet.

Hazard data source: PubChem GHS Classification, retrieved 31 Oct 2026. Formula C4H9Cl. EC number 208-066-4.

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