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

tert-Butanol (CAS 75-65-0): storage and disposal

tert-Butanol is a highly flammable liquid held neat in school, college and university stores, and it is one of the few common alcohols that can set solid in a cool room. It causes serious eye irritation, may irritate the airways and is harmful if inhaled. Staff who find a block of colourless solid in a bottle sometimes assume the stock has gone wrong, and that assumption is what to avoid.

CAS number
75-65-0
Form
Liquid
Storage class
Flammable
Signal word
Danger
Usual EWC code, laboratory stock
16 05 06*
  • Flammable pictogramFlammable
  • Harmful or irritant pictogramHarmful or irritant

What to do this week

  1. Without moving anything that looks damaged, check the label is readable and write down the opened date if it is not already there.
  2. Check it is stored as flammable 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.
  3. 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

Highly flammable liquid and vapour decides the shelf: a ventilated fire-resistant cabinet with spill containment, away from ignition sources, oxidisers, acids and corrosive stock. Because it is harmful if inhaled and may irritate the airways, bottles should be opened where air moves, not in a small closed cupboard. It also sets solid at modest room temperatures, so a cabinet on an outside wall or in an unheated prep room may hold a solid block in winter. A solid bottle should not be put near a heater or flame to loosen it, since vapour from a warmed bottle carries the same ignition risk as any other. Keep the cap tight in all weather.

How to tell it has deteriorated

On a cold morning the first thing seen is often a white solid mass or a bottle full of crystals where there was a clear liquid. That is the alcohol setting, not a sign of decay, and it returns to liquid in a warmer room. What does point to trouble is a lower level than recorded, a tacky cap, sides that bulge or are sucked in, and labels stained by drips. A colour change in the liquid is not expected and suggests contamination. Treat a bottle found solid as an ordinary full bottle. It may stay solid at normal room temperature, so judge it by its cap, level and label.

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 flammable laboratory pack with compatible chemicals.

A bottle that has set solid must not be warmed on a hot plate, in a water bath or near a flame to make it easier to collect, and the contents must not be tipped out, poured away or burnt. tert-Butanol goes by specialist collection, packed in a lab pack with compatible solvents, usually under 16 05 06*, or under 16 05 08* as a discarded organic chemical outside a lab pack, and the producer confirms the classification. Write the bottle's state on the booking, solid or liquid, with the amount left and the label wording, so the packer knows what to expect on collection day.

Waste codes for tert-Butanol
Usual EWC code, laboratory stock16 05 06*
Discarded organic chemical, not a laboratory pack16 05 08*
Usually classed as hazardous wasteYes

20 01 13* (solvents) belongs to municipal collections and is shown for reference only. It is not the normal code for a laboratory collection.

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

  • OxidiserOxidisers can ignite flammable materials or make a fire far more intense.
  • AcidSome acids, especially oxidising acids, can ignite flammable materials, and acid fumes attack containers and seals.
  • CorrosiveA leak of corrosive stock can break down flammable containers and feed a fire.

Named chemicals to keep apart

  • Acetic acidOxidising acids can ignite flammable materials, and acid fumes attack containers and seals.
  • Calcium hypochloriteOxidisers can ignite flammable materials or make a fire far more intense.
  • Hydrochloric acidOxidising acids can ignite flammable materials, and acid fumes attack containers and seals.
  • Hydrogen peroxideOxidisers can ignite flammable materials or make a fire far more intense.
  • Nitric acidOxidising acids can ignite flammable materials, and acid fumes attack containers and seals.
  • Potassium nitrateOxidisers can ignite flammable materials or make a fire far more intense.
  • Potassium permanganateOxidisers can ignite flammable materials or make a fire far more intense.
  • Sulfuric acidOxidising acids can ignite flammable materials, and acid fumes attack containers and seals.
Show 2 more
  • Thionyl chlorideA leak of corrosive stock can break down flammable containers and feed a fire.
  • Zinc chlorideA leak of corrosive stock can break down flammable containers and feed a fire.

Common quantities

Usually held as: neat.

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

  • H225 Highly flammable liquid and vapour.
  • H319 Causes serious eye irritation.
  • H332 Harmful if inhaled.
  • H335 May cause respiratory irritation.
Precautionary statements
  • P210 Keep away from heat, hot surfaces, sparks, open flames and other ignition sources. No smoking.
  • P233 Keep container tightly closed.
  • P240 Ground and bond container and receiving equipment.
  • P241 Use explosion-proof electrical, ventilating and lighting equipment.
  • P242 Use non-sparking tools.
  • P243 Take action to prevent static discharges.
  • P261 Avoid breathing dust, fume, gas, mist, vapours or spray.
  • P264+P265 Wash hands and exposed skin thoroughly after handling. Do not touch eyes.
  • P271 Use only outdoors or in a well-ventilated area.
  • P280 Wear protective gloves, protective clothing, eye protection and face protection.
  • P303+P361+P353 IF ON SKIN (or hair): Take off immediately all contaminated clothing. Rinse skin with water or shower.
  • P304+P340 IF INHALED: Remove person to fresh air and keep comfortable for breathing.
  • 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.
  • P319 Get medical help if you feel unwell.
  • P337+P317 If eye irritation persists: Get medical help.
  • P370+P378 In case of fire: Use suitable extinguishing media to extinguish.
  • P403+P233 Store in a well-ventilated place. Keep container tightly closed.
  • P403+P235 Store in a well-ventilated place. Keep cool.
  • 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

Our tert-butanol has frozen solid in the store. Has it gone off?

No. It sets solid in a cool room and returns to liquid when it warms. Leave the bottle where it is, as it may stay solid at normal room temperature, and do not use heat to change that.

What waste code do we use outside a lab pack?

A discarded organic chemical outside a lab pack uses 16 05 08*, and a bottle packed in a lab pack uses 16 05 06*. These are the usual codes. The producer classifies the waste, and the collection team can check it against the description you give at booking.

Do we need a flammables cabinet for one small bottle?

It is the sensible place for it. A single bottle is still a highly flammable liquid and vapour, and your DSEAR risk assessment sets the detail for your site. Size of stock does not change the hazard statement.

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 C4H10O. EC number 200-889-7.

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