Manganese(II) chloride (CAS 7773-01-5): storage and disposal
Manganese(II) chloride tetrahydrate is held in school, college and university stores as pale pink crystals. Unlike the sulfate, it is classified as toxic if swallowed, as causing serious eye damage, as possibly causing organ damage through repeated exposure and as toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects. That swallowing statement is what moves it off the general shelf and into a locked cupboard.
- CAS number
- 7773-01-5
- Form
- Solid
- Storage class
- Toxic
- Signal word
- Danger
- Usual EWC code, laboratory stock
- 16 05 06*
Corrosive
Acute toxicity
Serious health hazard
Hazardous to the environment
What to do this week
- Without moving anything that looks damaged, check the label is readable and write down the opened date if it is not already there.
- Check it is stored as toxic 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.
- 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
What it must not be left to mix with is anything acidic or oxidising. Keep this toxic stock in a locked cabinet with a stock record, away from food and drink areas. Keep it separate from incompatible chemicals in accordance with its safety data sheet and the store's compatibility arrangements. A staff room fridge shelf or a teaching bench cupboard that is also used for lunches is the wrong place. Chloride salts are damp-prone, so keep the cap tight and the jar dry, and stand it in a tray. Label it with its full name, tetrahydrate and the date received, and keep the entry in the stock record up to date.
How to tell it has deteriorated
The pink crystals take water from the air, so the first sign on an old jar is stickiness. Crystals clump together, form a damp cake at the base or stain the inside of the glass, and a wet ring may appear on the tray below. A crust on the thread, a corroded metal cap or a label gone soft with damp are all consequences of the same slow uptake. Colour may deepen or turn brownish with long exposure. A bottle on which the name and date cannot be read, or one missing from the stock record, is treated as ageing stock regardless of how the crystals look.
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 We do not publish a drain or general waste route for any chemical.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 toxic laboratory pack with compatible chemicals.
Keep it out of drains and ordinary waste, and do not try to dry out a damp jar before collection, since the toxic-if-swallowed classification and the aquatic one both follow the material wherever it goes. The usual code is 16 05 06* in a laboratory pack and 16 05 07* for discarded inorganic stock outside one, though the producer classifies the waste. Record the form as tetrahydrate, the container size and whether the contents have caked or gone wet. Used solutions from practical work are described separately with volumes. The collector groups it away from acids and oxidisers in a compatible pack on a specialist collection.
| Usual EWC code, laboratory stock | 16 05 06* |
|---|---|
| Discarded inorganic chemical, not a laboratory pack | 16 05 07* |
| Usually classed as hazardous waste | Yes |
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
- OxidiserToxic and oxidising stock are stored apart. A reaction could release toxic vapours.
- AcidToxic stock is stored apart from acids. Several toxic salts release toxic gas in contact with acid.
Named chemicals to keep apart
- Acetic acidToxic stock is stored apart from acids. Several toxic salts release toxic gas in contact with acid.
- Calcium hypochloriteToxic and oxidising stock are stored apart. A reaction could release toxic vapours.
- Hydrochloric acidToxic stock is stored apart from acids. Several toxic salts release toxic gas in contact with acid.
- Hydrogen peroxideToxic and oxidising stock are stored apart. A reaction could release toxic vapours.
- Nitric acidToxic stock is stored apart from acids. Several toxic salts release toxic gas in contact with acid.
- Potassium nitrateToxic and oxidising stock are stored apart. A reaction could release toxic vapours.
- Potassium permanganateToxic and oxidising stock are stored apart. A reaction could release toxic vapours.
- Sulfuric acidToxic stock is stored apart from acids. Several toxic salts release toxic gas in contact with acid.
Common quantities
Usually held as: tetrahydrate.
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
- H301 Toxic if swallowed.
- H318 Causes serious eye damage.
- H373 May cause damage to organs through prolonged or repeated exposure.
- H411 Toxic 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+P316 IF SWALLOWED: Get emergency medical help immediately.
- P301+P317 IF SWALLOWED: Get medical help.
- P305+P354+P338 IF IN EYES: Immediately rinse with water for several minutes. Remove contact lenses, if present and easy to do. Continue rinsing.
- P317 Get medical help.
- P319 Get medical help if you feel unwell.
- P321 Specific treatment (see supplemental first aid instruction on this label).
- P330 Rinse mouth.
- P391 Collect spillage.
- 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
What makes manganese(II) chloride different from the sulfate?
It is classified as toxic if swallowed and as causing serious eye damage, which the sulfate is not. That means a locked cabinet with a stock record instead of a general shelf.
Why are the pink crystals stuck together?
They take water from the air, so a jar that has not been closed tightly goes sticky and cakes. Do not dry it out. Keep it sealed on a tray and record the condition for collection.
Can it be kept near acids?
Keep it in its locked toxic-stock cabinet and follow the segregation requirements in its safety data sheet. Toxicity alone does not mean a salt releases gas on contact with acid.
What should be recorded before collection?
The form, tetrahydrate, the container size, whether the contents are caked or wet, and any solution made from it with volumes. That lets the stock be described correctly.