Tris hydrochloride (CAS 1185-53-1): storage and disposal

Keep it separate from strong alkalis and from hypochlorite bleach. The first is because an alkali changes what the salt is, and the second is because hypochlorite reacts with amine salts to form irritating, toxic chloramines. Otherwise it belongs on the general shelf in a dry, labelled and well organised store, dated on arrival and apart from food grade supplies. Keep the tub tightly closed, since the solid may take up moisture from the air and set. Store it away from the tub of Tris base so the two cannot be confused. A shared university stockroom often has both on adjacent shelves, which is where mislabelled decants begin.

A tub in good order holds white, loose crystals or powder. Clumping, a damp surface or a solid cake at the bottom means moisture has got in, usually through a cap that does not seat properly. Beyond that the substance gives few visible signs, so a normal look is no guide to age. The label is the weak point: the name Tris appears on several different containers, and without the word hydrochloride on the label a tub can be misfiled. General checks also apply, including crusting at the neck, a cracked tub and an unknown date of receipt. Unidentified or undated tubs should be recorded and held for collection.

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 We do not publish a drain or general waste route for any chemical.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 non-regulated or low hazard laboratory pack with compatible chemicals.

Waste code 16 05 09 is the usual entry for this item as non hazardous stock, and a human healthcare setting would usually use 18 01 07 instead, and the producer confirms the classification. That does not make it ordinary rubbish: it must not go into a sink, a drain, a general waste bin or a skip, and nobody should try to treat it first. A waste transfer note accompanies it, and the description must be accurate under the Duty of Care. Specialist collection takes it, with the tub grouped alongside compatible items. State on the record that it is the hydrochloride salt, not Tris base, along with the container size.

Usually held as: solid.

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.