Lithium hydroxide (CAS 1310-65-2): storage and disposal
A small tub of lithium hydroxide or its monohydrate sits in many school, college and university stores, bought for a single experiment and rarely used up. It is classified Danger for severe skin burns and eye damage, and it is harmful if swallowed. Because it is a strong alkali that takes carbon dioxide from the air, a long forgotten tub is usually part carbonate by the time it comes up for disposal.
- CAS number
- 1310-65-2
- Form
- Solid
- Storage class
- Alkali
- 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 alkali 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
In a school or college prep room the tub typically ends up on a general shelf next to other white solids, which is the wrong place for a strong alkali. It belongs low down in the corrosive store, on a resistant tray, with the cap pressed on after use and the thread free of crust. Keep it separate from acids, because acids and alkalis react with heat and spattering if they meet. Because it is also harmful if swallowed, keep it away from anything edible, including food grade supplies on a shared shelf. Write on the tub when it arrived, since an undated white solid is easy to mistake for a milder salt.
How to tell it has deteriorated
Dry, white and free of crust is how a good tub looks. Lithium hydroxide takes carbon dioxide from the air, forming a white lithium carbonate crust, so a rim of crust on the thread or a hard cake in the tub shows the cap has not been sealing. The monohydrate carries water in its crystals, and a damp looking or wet solid means moisture has entered. A cap that will not turn should be left alone. Labels stained by alkali fade, and an unlabelled white solid near an old lithium tub should be recorded as unknown rather than guessed at.
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 alkali laboratory pack with compatible chemicals.
A tub of lithium hydroxide is packed with other solid alkalis in sealed packaging, separated from acids. Because lithium appears in many items, say plainly that this is the hydroxide and not the metal, which is a different waste with different handling. It must not go into a sink, a drain, a general waste bin or a skip, and nobody should neutralise or treat it first. Specialist collection takes it in its original container. Record whether the tub is the plain solid or the monohydrate, its size and whether there is crust at the cap. The Danger classification means hazardous waste paperwork applies.
| EWC code, laboratory chemicals | 16 05 06* |
|---|---|
| Discarded inorganic chemical, not a laboratory pack | 16 05 07* |
| 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
- AcidAcids and alkalis react with strong heat and spattering if they meet.
- OxidiserSome oxidisers react strongly with alkalis, and ammonia based stock is especially at risk.
Named chemicals to keep apart
- Acetic acidAcids and alkalis react with strong heat and spattering if they meet.
- Calcium hypochloriteSome oxidisers react strongly with alkalis, and ammonia based stock is especially at risk.
- Hydrochloric acidAcids and alkalis react with strong heat and spattering if they meet.
- Hydrogen peroxideSome oxidisers react strongly with alkalis, and ammonia based stock is especially at risk.
- Nitric acidAcids and alkalis react with strong heat and spattering if they meet.
- Potassium nitrateSome oxidisers react strongly with alkalis, and ammonia based stock is especially at risk.
- Potassium permanganateSome oxidisers react strongly with alkalis, and ammonia based stock is especially at risk.
- Sulfuric acidAcids and alkalis react with strong heat and spattering if they meet.
Common quantities we collect
Usually held as: solid, monohydrate.
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.
Precautionary statements
- P260 Do not breathe dust, fume, gas, mist, vapours or spray.
- P262 Do not get in eyes, on skin, or on clothing.
- 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.
- P280 Wear protective gloves, protective clothing, eye protection and face protection.
- P301+P316 IF SWALLOWED: Get emergency medical help immediately.
- 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.
- P361+P364 Take off immediately all 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 lithium hydroxide formed a crust?
It takes carbon dioxide from the air and forms white lithium carbonate, usually where the cap has not sealed. Do not chip at the crust. Leave the tub closed, record it and tell the collector there is crust at the neck.
Can a half used tub stay on the shelf for years?
It may be kept, but an alkali tub that sits unused takes carbon dioxide from the air and becomes part carbonate, so the label no longer describes it fully. Date the tub, check the cap, and treat any tub of unknown age as waste.
Is lithium hydroxide collected together with lithium metal?
No. They are different substances with different hazards and different handling, so describe the stock exactly as labelled, as the hydroxide or the monohydrate, and list any lithium metal separately.
