Lithium chloride (CAS 7447-41-8): storage and disposal

Flame test sets are where it most often sits, and the set is carried from store to bench and back again. Each time the jar is opened in a damp room it takes in water. Keep the lid screwed on firmly and the jar in a dry, labelled, general store, dated on arrival, away from food grade supplies. Because the classification includes skin and eye irritation, spilled crystals and the film left by a wet jar need care when wiped up. Where a school keeps several chlorides together, make sure the lithium chloride jar has its own clear label so it is not mistaken for sodium chloride.

Dry, free-flowing white crystals are the starting point. Lithium chloride draws water readily, so an older jar tends to show clumps, then a solid cake, and in a poor seal a wet paste or liquid at the base. Look at the cap for crust or corrosion, at the shelf for a damp ring and at the label for staining. A jar that has become one fused block cannot be sampled without breaking it, which is a reason to leave it alone. Whatever state it is in, it remains lithium chloride and keeps its classification, and it should not be tipped into a fresh jar.

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 We do not publish a drain or general waste route for any chemical.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 general laboratory pack with compatible chemicals.

Most of the difficulty is liquid. A jar that has taken in water can leak in transit, so keep the cap tight, stand it upright and say on the request whether the contents are dry, caked or wet. Do not decant it or try to dry it out. Hazardous waste entry 16 05 06* normally applies in a lab pack and 16 05 07* outside one, though the producer classifies the waste. Because it looks like many white salts, check the label against what is inside as far as can be done without opening the jar. It must not go into a sink, a drain, general waste or a skip, and nobody should try to treat it first.

Usually held as: solid.

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.