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

Octan-1-ol (CAS 111-87-5): storage and disposal

Octan-1-ol, also written octanol, is a clear liquid kept neat in school, college and university stores, often for partition experiments in university teaching labs. Its classification is limited to serious eye irritation, yet it is still handled as hazardous waste and collected like any other laboratory chemical. Its mild reputation is what leaves bottles unlabelled and unrecorded.

CAS number
111-87-5
Form
Liquid
Storage class
General
Signal word
Warning
Usual EWC code
16 05 06*
  • Harmful or irritant pictogramHarmful or irritant

What to do this week

  1. Check the label is readable and write down the opened date if it is not already there.
  2. Check it is stored as general stock and apart from the items listed under "Do not store with".
  3. 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

Turn the bottle until the label faces you and read whether it gives the full name or just octanol. Then check the cap and the shelf beneath for a greasy ring, which is how this less volatile alcohol shows a leaking closure. It belongs in a dry, labelled, well organised store, dated on arrival, with goggles near the shelf because of the eye irritation classification. A tray stops drips marking the shelf. As with any organic liquid, it is better away from oxidising stock, and bottles used for teaching practicals should be returned to the same place after each lesson.

How to tell it has deteriorated

Octanol is a clear, colourless liquid that gives few visible signs of age, so the container carries the evidence. A greasy film around the cap, a stained or peeling label and drips on the shelf show a closure that is no longer sealing. A level below the record shows loss through the cap. Colour change, cloudiness or a second layer would mean something else is in the bottle, perhaps water from a damp pipette or another solvent, and the bottle is recorded as mixed. Bottles decanted for teaching practicals are the ones most likely to lose their labels.

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 non-regulated or low hazard laboratory pack with compatible chemicals.

Waste code 16 05 06* is the code for laboratory chemicals in a lab pack, and the asterisk marks it as hazardous waste, so even a mild looking liquid like this one is described and moved as hazardous. Outside a lab pack, the discarded organic chemical code 16 05 08* applies. There is no UN number to quote here. Record the label wording, the amount and whether the bottle has been decanted. Specialist collection is the only route: it must not be poured away, evaporated or put in with general waste, and a small amount left in a bottle does not change that.

Waste codes and transport details for Octan-1-ol
EWC code, laboratory chemicals16 05 06*
Discarded organic chemical, not a laboratory pack16 05 08*
Hazardous wasteYes

The code depends on where the waste came from and what it is mixed with. Use the waste code finder to see why.

Common quantities we collect

Usually held as: neat.

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

  • H319 Causes serious eye irritation.
Precautionary statements
  • 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+P317 IF SWALLOWED: Get medical help.
  • P302+P352 IF ON SKIN: Wash with plenty of water.
  • P305+P351+P338 IF IN EYES: Rinse cautiously with water for several minutes. Remove contact lenses, if present and easy to do. Continue rinsing.
  • P317 Get medical help.
  • P321 Specific treatment (see supplemental first aid instruction on this label).
  • P330 Rinse mouth.
  • P332+P317 If skin irritation occurs: Get medical help.
  • P337+P317 If eye irritation persists: Get medical help.
  • P362+P364 Take off contaminated clothing. And wash it before reuse.
  • P501 Dispose of contents and container in accordance with local, regional, national and international regulations.

Substance as classified, dilutions may differ.

Questions

Octanol is only an eye irritant. Why is it hazardous waste?

Hazardous status is how this stock is treated for collection, whatever its mild reputation, and the paperwork follows from that. It is described accurately and packed with compatible chemicals in a lab pack.

How do we describe leftover octanol and water from a partition practical?

As a mixture of both, named as they appear on your lesson record. Keep it in a closed, labelled container apart from clean stock, and give the approximate amounts at booking.

Does octan-1-ol need a flammables cabinet?

Its classification on file is eye irritation only, so a general store applies. Keep it away from oxidising stock as you would any organic liquid, and check what your own site risk assessment asks for.

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 C8H18O. EC number 203-917-6.

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