Iron(III) chloride (CAS 7705-08-0): storage and disposal
Iron(III) chloride is held as anhydrous solid, hexahydrate and solutions in school, college and university stores and in histology labs. It is classified as harmful if swallowed, as causing severe skin burns and eye damage and as harmful to aquatic life with long lasting effects, and the transport entry depends on its form, with UN number 1773 for the anhydrous solid. It is stored with the acids, and it is the yellow-brown staining on shelves and caps that gives away a jar that has been left open.
- CAS number
- 7705-08-0
- Form
- Solid
- Storage class
- Acid
- Signal word
- Danger
- Usual EWC code
- 16 05 06*
Corrosive
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 acid 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
It sits low down on an acid-resistant tray in a ventilated corrosive store, away from alkalis, with oxidising stock and flammable stock kept apart and well away from the harmful stock cabinet. The salt takes water from the air and then acts as an acid on metal, so a metal cap or shelf fitting nearby is the first thing to suffer. Keep the cap tight, the jar dated on arrival and a plastic tray under it. Anhydrous, hexahydrate and solution bottles must each be labelled by form. Histology holders with working solutions should keep them in their own labelled containers, not alongside the solid.
How to tell it has deteriorated
Yellow, orange or brown lumps in a jar that was a dry powder show that moisture has got in, and the contents may have run together into a sticky mass or a dark liquid. Anhydrous stock fumes faintly in damp air, so a sharp smell on opening suggests a poor seal. Look for crust around the neck, corroded or seized caps, brown staining on the tray or shelf and rust on nearby metal. A cracked container, a label attacked by liquid and an unknown date of receipt are further signs. Altered stock is still iron(III) chloride and keeps its burns classification.
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 corrosive acid laboratory pack with compatible chemicals.
Metal is the problem. A wet or leaking jar has often corroded its own cap, which is why the collection team needs to know if the lid is seized, crusted or stained. Keep it upright and on a tray, and describe whether the contents are anhydrous, hexahydrate or solution, with the strength of any solution if known. A dilute solution may be less hazardous than the solid, but it is still chemical waste. It goes in the corrosive acid group, collected as hazardous waste under 16 05 06* in a lab pack or 18 01 06* in healthcare. It must not go into a sink, a drain, general waste or a skip, and nobody should try to treat it first.
| EWC code, laboratory chemicals | 16 05 06* |
|---|---|
| Discarded inorganic chemical, not a laboratory pack | 16 05 07* |
| Human healthcare setting | 18 01 06* |
| 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.
Do not store with
- FlammableOxidising acids can ignite flammable materials, and acid fumes attack containers and seals.
- AlkaliAcids and alkalis react with strong heat and spattering if they meet.
- OxidiserMany oxidisers release toxic gas or become unstable in contact with acid.
- ToxicToxic stock is stored apart from acids. Several toxic salts release toxic gas in contact with acid.
Named chemicals to keep apart
- AcetoneOxidising acids can ignite flammable materials, and acid fumes attack containers and seals.
- Ammonia solutionAcids and alkalis react with strong heat and spattering if they meet.
- Calcium hypochloriteMany oxidisers release toxic gas or become unstable in contact with acid.
- EthanolOxidising acids can ignite flammable materials, and acid fumes attack containers and seals.
- FormalinToxic stock is stored apart from acids. Several toxic salts release toxic gas in contact with acid.
- HexaneOxidising acids can ignite flammable materials, and acid fumes attack containers and seals.
- Hydrogen peroxideMany oxidisers release toxic gas or become unstable in contact with acid.
- Mercury(II) chlorideToxic stock is stored apart from acids. Several toxic salts release toxic gas in contact with acid.
Show 7 more
- MethanolOxidising acids can ignite flammable materials, and acid fumes attack containers and seals.
- Potassium hydroxideAcids and alkalis react with strong heat and spattering if they meet.
- Potassium nitrateMany oxidisers release toxic gas or become unstable in contact with acid.
- Potassium permanganateMany oxidisers release toxic gas or become unstable in contact with acid.
- Sodium cyanideToxic stock is stored apart from acids. Several toxic salts release toxic gas in contact with acid.
- Sodium hydroxideAcids and alkalis react with strong heat and spattering if they meet.
- TolueneOxidising acids can ignite flammable materials, and acid fumes attack containers and seals.
Common quantities we collect
Usually held as: anhydrous, hexahydrate, solutions.
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.
- H314 Causes severe skin burns and eye damage.
- H412 Harmful to aquatic life with long lasting effects.
Precautionary statements
- 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.
- P273 Avoid release to the environment.
- P280 Wear protective gloves, protective clothing, eye protection and face 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.
- 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.
- P332+P317 If skin irritation occurs: Get medical help.
- P362+P364 Take off contaminated clothing. And wash it before reuse.
- P363 Wash contaminated clothing before reuse.
- 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
Why has our iron(III) chloride gone into a brown liquid?
It takes up water from the air, and a jar with a loose cap can end up as a dark, sticky liquid. It is still iron(III) chloride and still classified for severe burns. Keep it upright on a tray and describe the condition.
Why is it kept with the acids?
In water it behaves as an acid and it attacks metal, and it is classified as causing severe skin burns and eye damage. It belongs low down on a resistant tray, away from alkalis, oxidisers and flammable stock.
Can the rust-brown stain on the shelf be wiped away?
Staining shows that liquid has escaped, so treat it as a skin and eye risk and tell the collection team what you found. Keep the jar upright on a tray and move other stock away from it.
Are histology solutions treated as hazardously as the solid?
Not necessarily. A dilute solution may be less hazardous than the solid, but it is still collected as chemical waste. Label it with name, strength and date, and list it separately from the solid.
