Lithium aluminium hydride (CAS 16853-85-3): storage and disposal

Water decides where this hydride sits. Any contact can release flammable gas that may ignite on its own, so the pack needs a dry, ventilated, fire-resistant cabinet with spill containment, clear of ignition sources and oxidisers. Aqueous stock is the everyday risk. Ammonia solution, formalin, hydrochloric acid, hydrogen peroxide, sodium hydroxide and sodium hypochlorite often share a college prep room, and each one brings water with it, so none of them belongs on the same shelf or above it. The burn hazard can tempt people towards the corrosive store, which is the wrong home because acid fumes and leaks are found there. Keep the lid fully closed, and avoid anything that could grind the powder, such as grit in a screw thread, because grinding can ignite it. Date the pack when it is opened.

A crust on the grey powder is the first thing a technician is likely to see, and it means moisture has already been at work. That slow reaction leaves a pack of unknown composition, so the label no longer tells you what is inside. Gas from the same reaction can build up in a closed pack, which makes a bulging lid, a failed seal or a stained label worth taking seriously. Few other visual signs exist, and a clean looking pack proves little if its date is missing. If it is old, undated or shows any of these signs, do not open it and do not move it. Leave it in place, keep water away from the area and get a specialist assessment from a competent chemist.

Slow reaction with moisture leaves a pack of unknown composition.

This does not go through our standard collection route. It is arranged by manual enquiry, and never goes down the drain or into general waste.

Lab packs rely on sorting items into compatible groups, and a water reactive hydride of uncertain condition cannot be sorted from a description alone. For that reason it is not quoted online and does not go through the online quote path. Send a manual enquiry instead, giving the pack size, any date on it, where it is stored and what can be seen without touching it. A store assessment is recommended, because old or dry material may be explosive or unstable and can only be judged in person by a competent chemist. If a warning sign is present, an explosives or emergency specialist may be needed. Until advice arrives, do not open it, move it or try to make it safe. It never goes into a sink, drain, general waste bin or skip.

Usually held as: solid.

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.