Butan-2-ol (CAS 78-92-2): storage and disposal

Flammable liquid and vapour sets the location: a ventilated fire-resistant cabinet with spill containment, clear of ignition sources. In a prep room it often sits with the other butanols, but the acidified dichromate used to oxidise them belongs in a separate space, because oxidisers can ignite it or make a fire far more intense. Oxidising acids and other corrosive stock stay elsewhere too, since a leak can break down its container. Write the arrival date and the opening date on the bottle, and review an opened bottle at 12 months. The vapour can cause drowsiness or dizziness as well as irritating the airways, so a weeping cap in a small prep room is more than a fire concern. Only a spark-free refrigerator may hold it if cooling is ever needed.

Slowly, in contact with air, a secondary alcohol like butan-2-ol can build up peroxides, and the liquid usually stays clear and colourless while it does. Looks therefore prove little, so the date on the bottle carries more weight than its appearance. A level lower than the record suggests deserves attention, since any peroxides stay behind and concentrate as liquid escapes through a poor seal. Other warning signs are crystals or residue around the cap, a bulged or sucked-in bottle, a stained label, or liquid that has thickened or changed colour. If a bottle is old, undated or shows any of these, do not move it, do not open it, and ask for a specialist assessment. Any peroxide testing is for competent staff only.

This can form peroxides as it ages, especially after opening. Age and the opened date matter more than appearance, so a container with no opened date should be treated as old.

Review after 12 months: Review interval after opening from the cited peroxide former lists, not an expiry date from a manufacturer. Class C and all other chemicals are left null.

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.

Nothing should be done to reduce the volume: never concentrate it by evaporation, and never pour it into a sink or drain. It must not go into a general waste bin or a skip either, and nobody should try to treat it before collection. Specialist collection is the only route. Packing places it with compatible flammable organics, so the useful description covers how many bottles there are, their sizes, which have been opened and when, and which have no date. Flag undated or old bottles beforehand, because they need assessing rather than simply packing. The usual waste code is 16 05 06*, and a bottle described as a discarded organic chemical outside a lab pack takes 16 05 08*. As hazardous waste, it moves under a consignment note, which in Scotland is the special waste version.

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.