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

Butan-1-ol (CAS 71-36-3): storage and disposal

Butan-1-ol, or n-butanol, arrives as a neat liquid in glass or plastic bottles for school, college and university stores. It is a flammable liquid and vapour, harmful if swallowed, and it irritates skin and airways while causing serious eye damage. Vapour may also cause drowsiness or dizziness. It shares the label word butanol with its isomers, which is where most confusion starts.

CAS number
71-36-3
Form
Liquid
Storage class
Flammable
Signal word
Danger
Usual EWC code
16 05 06*
  • Flammable pictogramFlammable
  • Corrosive pictogramCorrosive
  • Harmful or irritant pictogramHarmful or irritant

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

Most stock arrives as a glass or coated bottle with a screw cap, and that bottle should go straight into a ventilated fire-resistant cabinet with spill containment, not onto an open bench shelf. Keep it away from ignition sources and from oxidisers, acids and corrosive stock, which can react with an organic solvent or attack its container in a leak. Vapour may cause drowsiness, so a small prep cupboard with no airflow is a poor place to open a bottle. Where a department holds several butanols, store each under its own label so that n-butanol is not shelved as one of the branched isomers.

How to tell it has deteriorated

Begin with the cap and the neck. Slow evaporation through a poor liner leaves a tacky rim and a lower level than the stock record shows, while a sucked in or bulging bottle points to a failing seal. Drips run down the glass and lift paper labels, which matters because the name butanol alone does not say which isomer is inside. The liquid itself is clear and colourless and gives few visible signs of age, so cloudiness, a separated layer or a tint more likely means water or another liquid has got in. Record such a bottle as mixed or unknown and leave it closed.

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.

It must not be poured away, left to evaporate in a fume cupboard or burnt off, and part bottles must not be combined to reduce the count. Butan-1-ol goes by specialist collection, packed with compatible solvents in a lab pack as UN 1120 under 16 05 06*. Outside a lab pack it is a discarded organic chemical under 16 05 08*. Record the label wording exactly, the amount left and whether the cap is tacky or the bottle distorted, since those details affect how it is handled at the packing stage.

Waste codes and transport details for Butan-1-ol
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

  • H226 Flammable liquid and vapour.
  • H302 Harmful if swallowed.
  • H315 Causes skin irritation.
  • H318 Causes serious eye damage.
  • H335 May cause respiratory irritation.
  • H336 May cause drowsiness or dizziness.
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.
  • P261 Avoid breathing dust, fume, gas, mist, vapours or spray.
  • 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.
  • P271 Use only outdoors or in a well-ventilated area.
  • P280 Wear protective gloves, protective clothing, eye protection and face protection.
  • P301+P317 IF SWALLOWED: Get medical help.
  • P302+P352 IF ON SKIN: Wash with plenty of water.
  • P303+P361+P353 IF ON SKIN (or hair): Take off immediately all contaminated clothing. Rinse skin with water or shower.
  • P304+P340 IF INHALED: Remove person to fresh air and keep comfortable for breathing.
  • P305+P354+P338 IF IN EYES: Immediately rinse with water for several minutes. Remove contact lenses, if present and easy to do. Continue rinsing.
  • P317 Get medical help.
  • P319 Get medical help if you feel unwell.
  • P321 Specific treatment (see supplemental first aid instruction on this label).
  • P330 Rinse mouth.
  • P332+P317 If skin irritation occurs: Get medical help.
  • P362+P364 Take off contaminated clothing. And wash it before reuse.
  • P370+P378 In case of fire: Use suitable extinguishing media to extinguish.
  • P403+P233 Store in a well-ventilated place. Keep container tightly closed.
  • P403+P235 Store in a well-ventilated place. Keep cool.
  • P405 Store locked up.
  • P501 Dispose of contents and container in accordance with local, regional, national and international regulations.

Substance as classified, dilutions may differ.

Questions

Does butanol on an old label always mean butan-1-ol?

Not necessarily. The word can cover several isomers, which are separate stock lines. Check the supplier's wording on the bottle, and if the label is unclear, say so at booking so the collection record does not name the wrong one.

Can part used bottles be combined before collection?

No. Combining them changes the description and may mix different isomers or contaminants. Leave each bottle closed and labelled and list them separately, so the packer sees exactly what is there.

Why does eye damage matter for storage as well as handling?

Serious eye damage is a more severe classification than simple irritation, and a leak or splash while moving bottles is the usual way it happens. Keep bottles low in the cabinet and goggles beside it.

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 C4H10O. EC number 200-751-6.

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