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

Sodium peroxide (CAS 1313-60-6): storage and disposal

A pale yellow solid, sodium peroxide sits in some school, college and university oxidiser stores as a legacy reagent. It is a strong oxidiser that may cause fire or explosion, reacts violently with water and ignites organic material, and it causes severe skin burns and eye damage. Those reactions, and how moisture changes old stock, decide its handling. This site does not quote for it online, so each holding goes to a manual enquiry.

CAS number
1313-60-6
Form
Solid
Storage class
Oxidiser
Signal word
Danger
Usual EWC code
16 05 06*
  • Oxidising pictogramOxidising
  • Corrosive pictogramCorrosive

This chemical is a manual enquiry

This can become unstable or explosive, especially if it is old or has dried out. Nobody should move it until someone competent has looked at it, so we start with a conversation and usually a store assessment.

Reacts violently with water and organics.

It cannot be priced through a form. Please do not open or move it. Call us or send an enquiry and we will talk through the safe next step, which is often a store assessment.

What to do this week

  1. Leave it where it is. If it looks old, crystalline or damaged, do not open or move it and keep people away from the shelf.
  2. Write down the label wording, the rough age and where it is stored, from a safe distance.
  3. Send us those details, and a photo if you can take one without touching it.

Safe storage in a school or lab

Water and anything organic must stay away from it, as it reacts violently with water and ignites organic material. On a real shelf that means paper labels on neighbouring bottles, cardboard boxes and wooden shelving all count, along with glucose, activated charcoal and aluminium powder, which can form mixtures that flare or explode. Diethyl ether, diisopropyl ether and 1,4-dioxane are worse company still, and hydrazine hydrate can ignite on contact. A dry, separate oxidiser space on non-combustible shelving is the position to look for, away from damp walls, taps and acid fumes. Avoid storing it in a room where condensation forms. Date it when it arrives. Once a container looks damp or swollen, leave it where it stands and do not open it.

How to tell it has deteriorated

Moisture and carbon dioxide from the air slowly change it. The pale yellow powder whitens and cakes as it turns to sodium hydroxide and sodium carbonate, and that is why an old tin rarely looks like a new one. Reaction with water also gives off oxygen, so a container can swell over time. A damp or crusted lid, or solid that has set hard, all point to a failed seal. Corroded caps and staining on the shelf are the other usual finds, and paper or organic dust on or around the container is a serious concern with an oxidiser of this strength. A whitened solid is not necessarily spent. Do not open it, break up a caked lump or move a swollen container to look more closely.

How it must be disposed of

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.

No grouping into a lab pack can be decided from a web form, because the reaction with water and organics rules out an ordinary mixed oxidiser group until someone has seen the state of it. It is not quoted online, and the online quote path does not accept it. Send a manual enquiry, and a store assessment is recommended, with a competent chemist seeing it in person. Give the label wording, the container type and whether the solid is loose, caked or damp. Swelling or a wet lid may bring in an explosives or emergency specialist. Do not open it, move it or try to make it safe, and it must never go into a sink, a drain, a bin or a skip.

Waste codes and transport details for Sodium peroxide
EWC code, laboratory chemicals16 05 06*
Discarded inorganic chemical, not a laboratory pack16 05 07*
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.

Do not store with

  • FlammableOxidisers can ignite flammable materials or make a fire far more intense.
  • AcidMany oxidisers release toxic gas or become unstable in contact with acid.
  • AlkaliSome oxidisers react strongly with alkalis, and ammonia based stock is especially at risk.
  • ToxicToxic and oxidising stock are stored apart. A reaction could release toxic vapours.
  • CorrosiveCorrosive stock can react with oxidisers, releasing heat or fumes.

Named chemicals to keep apart

  • 1,2-DimethoxyethanePeroxide forming ethers can ignite or explode with strong oxidisers.
  • 1,4-DioxanePeroxide forming ethers can ignite or explode with strong oxidisers.
  • Acetic acidMany oxidisers release toxic gas or become unstable in contact with acid.
  • AcetoneOxidisers can ignite flammable materials or make a fire far more intense.
  • Activated charcoalStrong oxidisers can form mixtures with these materials that burn fiercely or explode.
  • Aluminium powderStrong oxidisers can form mixtures with these materials that burn fiercely or explode.
  • Ammonia solutionSome oxidisers react strongly with alkalis, and ammonia based stock is especially at risk.
  • Diethyl etherPeroxide forming ethers can ignite or explode with strong oxidisers.
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  • Diisopropyl etherPeroxide forming ethers can ignite or explode with strong oxidisers.
  • EthanolOxidisers can ignite flammable materials or make a fire far more intense.
  • FormalinToxic and oxidising stock are stored apart. A reaction could release toxic vapours.
  • GlucoseStrong oxidisers can form mixtures with these materials that burn fiercely or explode.
  • HexaneOxidisers can ignite flammable materials or make a fire far more intense.
  • Hydrochloric acidMany oxidisers release toxic gas or become unstable in contact with acid.
  • Magnesium ribbonStrong oxidisers can form mixtures with these materials that burn fiercely or explode.
  • Potassium cyanideCyanides react violently with strong oxidisers.
  • Red phosphorusStrong oxidisers can form mixtures with these materials that burn fiercely or explode.
  • Sodium cyanideCyanides react violently with strong oxidisers.
  • SucroseStrong oxidisers can form mixtures with these materials that burn fiercely or explode.
  • SulfurStrong oxidisers can form mixtures with these materials that burn fiercely or explode.
  • TetrahydrofuranPeroxide forming ethers can ignite or explode with strong oxidisers.
  • White phosphorusPhosphorus can ignite or explode with oxidisers.

Common quantities we collect

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.

Where it is commonly held

Hazard statements

  • H271 May cause fire or explosion; strong oxidiser.
  • H314 Causes severe skin burns and eye damage.
Precautionary statements
  • P210 Keep away from heat, hot surfaces, sparks, open flames and other ignition sources. No smoking.
  • P220 Keep away from clothing and other combustible materials.
  • P260 Do not breathe dust, fume, gas, mist, vapours or spray.
  • P264 Wash hands and exposed skin thoroughly after handling.
  • P280 Wear protective gloves, protective clothing, eye protection and face protection.
  • P283 Wear fire resistant or flame retardant clothing.
  • P301+P330+P331 IF SWALLOWED: Rinse mouth. Do NOT induce vomiting.
  • 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.
  • P306+P360 IF ON CLOTHING: Rinse immediately contaminated clothing and skin with plenty of water before removing clothes.
  • P316 Get emergency medical help immediately.
  • P321 Specific treatment (see supplemental first aid instruction on this label).
  • P363 Wash contaminated clothing before reuse.
  • P370+P378 In case of fire: Use suitable extinguishing media to extinguish.
  • P371+P380+P375 In case of major fire and large quantities: Evacuate area. Fight fire remotely due to the risk of explosion.
  • P405 Store locked up.
  • P420 Store separately.
  • P501 Dispose of contents and container in accordance with local, regional, national and international regulations.

Substance as classified, dilutions may differ.

Questions

Our sodium peroxide has gone white and set hard. Has the hazard gone?

You cannot assume it has. Whitening and caking show that moisture has got in, yet some peroxide can remain inside the lump. Do not break it up or open the tin to check. Describe the colour and how it looks from outside in your enquiry.

Is it safe to keep sodium peroxide beside other oxidisers in the same cupboard?

Oxidiser space is the right class, but this one needs more care than most because of water. A leaking solution above or beside it is a real risk, so solid stock on a dry shelf makes a better neighbour than bottled hydrogen peroxide or other liquids.

How do we describe a tin with a rusted lid that we cannot open?

Describe it exactly as it is, with the rust, any swelling and the label wording, and leave it unopened. A stuck lid should not be forced. A competent chemist will decide what can be done once they have seen it, so say the lid is seized in your enquiry.

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 Na2O2. EC number 215-209-4.

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