Acetophenone (CAS 98-86-2): storage and disposal
Acetophenone is an aromatic ketone held as a neat liquid in school, college and university stores. It is harmful if swallowed and causes serious eye irritation. A quirk that catches technicians out is that it sets solid close to room temperature, so the same bottle can look like a clear liquid in summer and a lump of crystals in a cold prep room in winter. That is normal and not a reason to open it.
- CAS number
- 98-86-2
- Form
- Liquid
- Storage class
- General
- Signal word
- Warning
- Usual EWC code
- 16 05 06*
Harmful or irritant
What to do this week
- Check the label is readable and write down the opened date if it is not already there.
- Check it is stored as general stock and apart from the items listed under "Do not store with".
- 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
Because it can freeze in a cool store, a bottle left on a north-facing shelf or in an unheated prep room may be part solid, and the glass can be put under strain when liquid sets inside it. Keep it in a dry, labelled, well organised store on a low shelf, and date it on arrival. Warming a frozen bottle to loosen it is not something to attempt, so leave it as it is and do not open it to check. Separate it from food grade supplies and from the main run of lab stock if it shares a cupboard. Keep the cap tight, and give it its own place rather than a crowded shelf of ketones.
How to tell it has deteriorated
A bottle that has gone cloudy or contains crystals is usually only a sign that the room has been cold, because acetophenone sets close to room temperature. It still tells you that the liquid has been through a temperature swing, so look at the glass for hairline cracks and at the cap for a poor seal. Other checks are those of any general stock: faded labels, a stained cap thread, residue on the shoulder, a lower level than the record shows, and an unknown date of receipt. Any distinct colour change in a clear liquid should be noted on the waste record. Beyond this, the substance gives few visual signs of age.
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 non-regulated or low hazard laboratory pack with compatible chemicals.
Specialist collection takes it, packed into a lab pack with other compatible organic liquids and described under waste code 16 05 06*. Where it is a discarded organic chemical outside a pack, 16 05 08* applies instead. Record the bottle size, how full it is and the label name, because Phenylethanone and alpha-Acetophenone are alternative names that appear on older bottles. If the contents have frozen, say so, but do not warm the bottle to melt it. It is classed as harmful if swallowed and an eye irritant, so it never goes down a sink or into a skip, and nobody should try to treat it before collection.
| EWC code, laboratory chemicals | 16 05 06* |
|---|---|
| Discarded organic chemical, not a laboratory pack | 16 05 08* |
| Hazardous waste | Yes |
The code depends on where the waste came from and what it is mixed with. Use the waste code finder to see why.
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
- H302 Harmful if swallowed.
- H319 Causes serious eye irritation.
Precautionary statements
- P264 Wash hands and exposed skin thoroughly after handling.
- P264+P265 Wash hands and exposed skin thoroughly after handling. Do not touch eyes.
- P270 Do not eat, drink or smoke when using this product.
- P280 Wear protective gloves, protective clothing, eye protection and face protection.
- P301+P317 IF SWALLOWED: Get medical help.
- P305+P351+P338 IF IN EYES: Rinse cautiously with water for several minutes. Remove contact lenses, if present and easy to do. Continue rinsing.
- P330 Rinse mouth.
- P337+P317 If eye irritation persists: Get medical help.
- P501 Dispose of contents and container in accordance with local, regional, national and international regulations.
Substance as classified, dilutions may differ.
Questions
Our acetophenone has turned into crystals. Has it gone off?
Most likely not. It sets solid near room temperature, so a cold store can freeze it. Check the glass for cracks and the cap for a seal, leave it unopened, and tell the collector it was found frozen.
Should we warm a frozen bottle before it is collected?
No. Do not try to melt it. Leave the bottle where it is, cap on, and declare it as it stands. Heating a container is a treatment step we do not recommend, and it adds risk for no benefit.
What other names might be on the label?
Older bottles may read phenylethanone or alpha-acetophenone. Record every name printed on the label together with the CAS number if there is one, so the waste description matches the container.
Is acetophenone stored with the solvents?
It is held as general stock in a dry, labelled store, separate from food supplies. It does not need the fire-resistant cabinet on its listed hazards, but keep it away from crowded shelves where caps get knocked.
