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

Ethylenediamine (CAS 107-15-3): storage and disposal

Ethylenediamine is a fuming, ammonia smelling liquid held neat in college and university stores. It is classified as flammable, harmful by several routes, severely burning to skin and eyes, and a skin and respiratory sensitiser, with harm to aquatic life. The sensitiser classification means repeated small exposures matter, and old bottles with crusty caps are best left alone.

CAS number
107-15-3
Form
Liquid
Storage class
Flammable
Signal word
Danger
Usual EWC code, laboratory stock
16 05 06*
  • Flammable pictogramFlammable
  • Corrosive pictogramCorrosive
  • Harmful or irritant pictogramHarmful or irritant
  • Serious health hazard pictogramSerious health hazard

What to do this week

  1. Without moving anything that looks damaged, 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 anything listed under "Do not store with" on this page. If nothing is listed, that does not prove it is safe with everything.
  3. If you no longer need it, add it to your disposal list so it can be included in a collection.

Safe storage in a school or lab

Start at the shelf with the cap. Ethylenediamine takes carbon dioxide and moisture from air and builds a white crust on the thread, so a tight cap and an upright bottle matter. It belongs in a ventilated fire-resistant cabinet with spill containment, away from ignition sources and oxidisers. Keep it apart from calcium hypochlorite, sodium hypochlorite, chloramine T and sodium dichloroisocyanurate, as amines and hypochlorites form toxic chlorinated products. Nitromethane must also be kept well apart, because amines sensitise it to detonation. Acids go on a separate shelf, and so do corrosive leaks that would break down the container. Because it can cause allergy or asthma symptoms if inhaled, a cabinet that leaks vapour is a problem for whoever opens it daily.

How to tell it has deteriorated

White crust around the neck and cap is the distinctive sign of old ethylenediamine, formed where the amine has met carbon dioxide in air. The liquid itself can go from colourless to yellow with age. An ammonia-like smell in the cabinet suggests the seal is no longer holding, and a reduced level shows evaporation. Other checks are bulging or sucked-in containers, stained labels and a stuck cap. Because the vapour is a sensitiser, nobody should open a crusted bottle to see what is inside. Treat an unlabelled bottle as an unknown flammable amine.

How it is disposed of

We arrange this by specialist collection. We do not publish a drain or general waste route for any chemical. It is normally packed in a flammable laboratory pack with compatible chemicals.

Describe it as a flammable, corrosive amine and a sensitiser, and give the volume and cap condition. It must never be put down a sink, left to evaporate or neutralised with acid, and a hospital holder should not treat it as clinical waste. The discarded organic chemical code is usually used when it leaves outside a lab pack. The specialist carrier packs it upright in compatible packaging, apart from oxidisers, hypochlorites and acids. Nobody who has previously reacted to amine vapour should be the one to pack or move the bottle.

Waste codes for Ethylenediamine
Usual EWC code, laboratory stock16 05 06*
Discarded organic chemical, not a laboratory pack16 05 08*
Usually classed as 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 contains, and classifying it is the producer's duty. Use the waste code finder to see why.

Do not store with

  • OxidiserOxidisers can ignite flammable materials or make a fire far more intense.
  • AcidSome acids, especially oxidising 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 hypochloriteHypochlorites and ammonia or amines form toxic chloramine gases.
  • Chloramine THypochlorites and ammonia or amines form toxic chloramine gases.
  • 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.
Show 5 more
  • Sodium dichloroisocyanurateHypochlorites and ammonia or amines form toxic chloramine gases.
  • Sodium hypochloriteHypochlorites and ammonia or amines form toxic chloramine gases.
  • 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.

Common quantities

Usually held as: neat.

Tell us the container size and how many you hold. An estimate is enough to start with, and some items cannot be priced until someone has looked at them.

Where it is commonly held

Hazard statements

  • H226 Flammable liquid and vapour.
  • H302 Harmful if swallowed.
  • H312 Harmful in contact with skin.
  • H314 Causes severe skin burns and eye damage.
  • H317 May cause an allergic skin reaction.
  • H332 Harmful if inhaled.
  • H334 May cause allergy or asthma symptoms or breathing difficulties if inhaled.
  • H412 Harmful to aquatic life with long lasting effects.
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.
  • P260 Do not breathe dust, fume, gas, mist, vapours or spray.
  • P261 Avoid breathing dust, fume, gas, mist, vapours or spray.
  • P264 Wash hands and exposed skin thoroughly after handling.
  • P270 Do not eat, drink or smoke when using this product.
  • P271 Use only outdoors or in a well-ventilated area.
  • P272 Contaminated work clothing should not be allowed out of the workplace.
  • P280 Wear protective gloves, protective clothing, eye protection and face protection.
  • P284 In case of inadequate ventilation wear respiratory protection.
  • P301+P317 IF SWALLOWED: Get medical help.
  • P301+P330+P331 IF SWALLOWED: Rinse mouth. Do NOT induce vomiting.
  • P302+P352 IF ON SKIN: Wash with plenty of water.
  • P302+P361+P354 IF ON SKIN: Take off immediately all contaminated clothing. Immediately rinse with water for several minutes.
  • 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.
  • P316 Get emergency medical help immediately.
  • P317 Get medical help.
  • P321 Specific treatment (see supplemental first aid instruction on this label).
  • P330 Rinse mouth.
  • P333+P317 If skin irritation or rash occurs: Get medical help.
  • P342+P316 If experiencing respiratory symptoms: Get emergency medical help immediately.
  • P362+P364 Take off contaminated clothing. And wash it before reuse.
  • P363 Wash contaminated clothing before reuse.
  • P370+P378 In case of fire: Use suitable extinguishing media to extinguish.
  • P403 Store in a well-ventilated place.
  • 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.
  • P262 Do not get in eyes, on skin, or on clothing.
  • P264+P265 Wash hands and exposed skin thoroughly after handling. Do not touch eyes.
  • P273 Avoid release to the environment.
  • P361+P364 Take off immediately all contaminated clothing. And wash it before reuse.

Substance as classified, dilutions may differ.

Questions

Why does ethylenediamine form a white crust on the cap?

It takes in carbon dioxide and moisture from air, leaving a solid deposit on the thread. The crust shows the seal is imperfect, and it can make the cap stick. Do not force it.

Who should handle old bottles of it?

Because it can cause allergy or asthma symptoms if inhaled and an allergic skin reaction, anyone who has reacted before should stay away. Trained staff should check the cap and label, not open the bottle.

Can it share a flammables cabinet with solvents?

Yes, it can share a flammables cabinet with compatible solvents, but only on a shelf apart from oxidisers, acids, hypochlorites and chlorinated solvents. Keep the bottle upright in a tray, with the cap clean and a dated label.

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 C2H8N2. EC number 203-468-6.

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