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

Carbon disulfide (CAS 75-15-0): storage and disposal

Old bottles of carbon disulfide turn up in school, college and university prep rooms as legacy stock, long after anyone remembers buying them. It is a highly flammable liquid with a very low flash point and ignition temperature, and it is a reproductive toxin. Both facts shape the handling: heat is as much a problem as flame, and the bottle's age is usually unknown.

CAS number
75-15-0
Form
Liquid
Storage class
Flammable
Signal word
Danger
Usual EWC code
16 05 06*
  • Flammable pictogramFlammable
  • Harmful or irritant pictogramHarmful or irritant
  • Serious health hazard pictogramSerious health hazard

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

Look at what the cabinet shares with the bottle and whether any hot surface is near it. Carbon disulfide has a very low flash point and ignition temperature, so a hot surface can ignite the vapour, and that rules out a store with a heating pipe, lamp or warm appliance close by. Keep it in a ventilated fire-resistant cabinet with spill containment. Ammonia solution, potassium and sodium metal and zinc powder react violently with it and must be well away. Its vapour is heavier than air, so a leak settles low in the cabinet. For legacy stock, check the date and whether a stock record exists at all.

How to tell it has deteriorated

The smell often reaches you first: a foul odour in a store room suggests the cap or seal has failed. On the shelf, carbon disulfide yellows with age, and a yellowed bottle can be taken as old and probably unrecorded legacy stock. Also look for a low level from evaporation, a perished cap, a stained label and a stuck lid. None of that is a reason to open the bottle. Leave a yellowed or smelly bottle where it is, keep ignition sources and heat away from it, record what you see and ask for advice on collection.

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.

Before asking for a collection, record the bottle size, the label wording, whether the liquid has yellowed and whether you can smell it from outside the cabinet. Carbon disulfide is classed as suspected of damaging fertility and the unborn child, so handling is kept to the minimum. It goes by specialist collection as hazardous waste 16 05 06*, grouped with compatible flammable liquids under UN 1131. Drains, general waste bins and skips are not routes for it, and it must not be treated or evaporated off to empty the bottle.

Waste codes and transport details for Carbon disulfide
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.
  • Ammonia solutionCarbon disulfide reacts violently with these materials.
  • 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 metalCarbon disulfide reacts violently with these materials.
  • Potassium nitrateOxidisers can ignite flammable materials or make a fire far more intense.
Show 6 more
  • Potassium permanganateOxidisers can ignite flammable materials or make a fire far more intense.
  • Sodium metalCarbon disulfide reacts violently with these materials.
  • Sulfuric acidOxidising acids can ignite flammable materials, and acid fumes attack containers and seals.
  • 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.
  • Zinc powderCarbon disulfide reacts violently with these materials.

Common quantities we collect

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.

Where it is commonly held

Hazard statements

  • H225 Highly flammable liquid and vapour.
  • H315 Causes skin irritation.
  • H319 Causes serious eye irritation.
  • H332 Harmful if inhaled.
  • H361fd Suspected of damaging fertility. Suspected of damaging the unborn child.
  • H372 Causes damage to organs through prolonged or repeated exposure.
Precautionary statements
  • P203 Obtain, read and follow all safety instructions before use.
  • 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.
  • P260 Do not breathe 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.
  • P280 Wear protective gloves, protective clothing, eye protection and face protection.
  • 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.
  • P305+P351+P338 IF IN EYES: Rinse cautiously with water for several minutes. Remove contact lenses, if present and easy to do. Continue rinsing.
  • P318 If exposed or concerned, get medical advice.
  • P319 Get medical help if you feel unwell.
  • P321 Specific treatment (see supplemental first aid instruction on this label).
  • P332+P317 If skin irritation occurs: Get medical help.
  • P337+P317 If eye irritation persists: 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+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.
  • P261 Avoid breathing dust, fume, gas, mist, vapours or spray.
  • P271 Use only outdoors or in a well-ventilated area.
  • P304+P340 IF INHALED: Remove person to fresh air and keep comfortable for breathing.
  • P317 Get medical help.

Substance as classified, dilutions may differ.

Questions

Why does a hot surface matter so much for carbon disulfide?

It has a very low flash point and ignition temperature, so a hot surface can ignite the vapour without any flame being present. Keep the bottle out of any cabinet or room with heating pipes, lamps or warm equipment nearby, and away from ignition sources generally.

Our bottle has gone yellow and smells foul. What should we do?

Yellowing and a foul smell are signs of age and a possible seal failure. Do not open it or move it more than necessary. Keep it away from heat, record what you see, and ask for assessment and collection.

Can carbon disulfide stand next to sodium or potassium metal?

No. It reacts violently with sodium metal and potassium metal, and also with zinc powder and ammonia solution. Keep it in the flammable cabinet and those materials in separate, labelled stores, ideally in different rooms.

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 CS2. EC number 200-843-6.

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