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

Isoamyl acetate (CAS 123-92-2): storage and disposal

Isoamyl acetate is the ester people know as banana oil, held as a neat liquid in school, college and university stores. It is classed as a flammable liquid and vapour, and repeated exposure may cause skin dryness or cracking. The smell is strong and travels, so a leaking bottle tends to reveal itself to anyone walking past the cupboard. Bottles also carry many alternative names, which complicates the waste record.

CAS number
123-92-2
Form
Liquid
Storage class
Flammable
Signal word
Warning
Usual EWC code, laboratory stock
16 05 06*
  • Flammable pictogramFlammable

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

Flammability decides where it goes, and the sweet smell decides whether it stays there. Keep the bottle in a ventilated fire-resistant cabinet with spill containment, away from ignition sources and oxidisers. A strong odour outside the cabinet means vapour is escaping from the cap. Oxidising acids can ignite flammable materials and acid fumes attack containers, so acids belong in a corrosive store lower down in another place. Keep the bottle apart from the amyl and pentyl acetates, which have a similar smell and the same hazard statement but a different label name. Only a spark-free refrigerator should hold it if cooling is needed.

How to tell it has deteriorated

Smell is the first sign. A banana odour in a stockroom or along a corridor can indicate escaping vapour, a leaking container or residual contamination, and it may precede any visible change. Then check for a lower level than the record, a swollen or lifted cap liner, a damp neck, a tacky film on the shelf and a bulging container. Alternative names printed on labels can fade or peel, including beta-methylbutyl acetate and isoamyl alcohol acetate. The liquid gives few other visible signs of age, so an unreadable label is the usual reason a bottle is treated as unknown.

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.

Pack it into a lab pack with compatible organic liquids, and group it by its own name, not with its isomer on the next shelf. It is usually described under waste code 16 05 06*, or 16 05 08* for a discarded organic chemical outside a pack. Give the collector the bottle size, fill level, the exact label name and whether the label shows any of the older names. A bottle of banana oil is never poured away, never put in general waste and never left open to let the smell disperse, and no one should try to treat it before the collection.

Waste codes for Isoamyl acetate
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 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

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.
  • EUH066 Repeated exposure may cause skin dryness or cracking.
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.
  • P280 Wear protective gloves, protective clothing, eye protection and face protection.
  • P303+P361+P353 IF ON SKIN (or hair): Take off immediately all contaminated clothing. Rinse skin with water or shower.
  • P370+P378 In case of fire: Use suitable extinguishing media to extinguish.
  • P403+P235 Store in a well-ventilated place. Keep cool.
  • P501 Dispose of contents and container in accordance with local, regional, national and international regulations.

Substance as classified, dilutions may differ.

Questions

Is banana oil the same as isoamyl acetate?

Yes, banana oil is a common name for isoamyl acetate. It is a different isomer from n-pentyl acetate, though the two share a smell and a hazard statement. Record the exact name printed on the bottle.

Why does the stockroom smell of bananas?

The smell may come from escaping vapour, a leaking bottle or residual contamination. The source cannot be established from the smell alone. Check each acetate bottle is upright and tightly closed in the fire-resistant cabinet, then look at the shelf and tray for a leak.

Is isoamyl acetate hazardous waste?

Yes. It is classified as a flammable liquid and vapour and is described as hazardous waste. Give the collector the bottle details, and note that the waste producer remains responsible for the waste code.

Can an old, half empty bottle stay in the cabinet until the next clear-out?

It can stay while the cap is tight and the label is readable. If the cap is lifting, the label is faded or the level keeps dropping, list it for collection rather than keeping 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 C7H14O2. EC number 204-662-3.

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