Substance profile
Aluminum Phosphide
Aluminum Phosphide is dark gray or dark yellow crystals with a garlic odor.
01 · Identification
What Aluminum Phosphide is
Aluminum Phosphide is dark gray or dark yellow crystals with a garlic odor. Its molecular formula is AlP and its molecular weight is 57.955 g/mol. It melts at 2550 °C.
Under the GHS it carries the signal word Danger. It is classed as flammable agents - 4th degree.
02 · Identifiers
Aluminum Phosphide identifiers and molecular data
Aluminum Phosphide CAS number and EC number
Aluminum Phosphide molecular formula and molecular weight
Other names for Aluminum Phosphide
- aluminium phosphide
03 · GHS classification
Aluminum Phosphide hazard classification
Harmonised classification under CLP Annex VI. This is the legally binding classification in the EU; other jurisdictions may differ.
Aluminum Phosphide pictograms and signal word
Aluminum Phosphide hazard class and category
| Hazard class | Category | From code | Pictogram |
|---|---|---|---|
| In contact with water emits flammable gases GHS chapter 2.12 | Category 1 | H260 | GHS02 |
| Acute toxicity - oral GHS chapter 3.1 | Category 1 or 2 | H300 | GHS06 |
| Acute toxicity - dermal GHS chapter 3.1 | Category 3 | H311 | GHS06 |
| Acute toxicity - inhalation GHS chapter 3.1 | Category 1 or 2 | H330 | GHS06 |
| Hazardous to the aquatic environment - acute GHS chapter 4.1 | Category 1 | H400 | GHS09 |
Where two values are shown with “or”, the hazard statement is shared by more than one category or by more than one class, and the code alone does not say which. H272, for example, belongs to oxidising liquids and to oxidising solids — the physical state decides. The binding answer for a specific entry is in the CLP Annex VI table itself.
Aluminum Phosphide hazard statements (H-codes)
| Code | Hazard statement |
|---|---|
| H260 | In contact with water releases flammable gases which may ignite spontaneously. |
| H330 | Fatal if inhaled. |
| H300 | Fatal if swallowed. |
| H311 | Toxic in contact with skin. |
| H400 | Very toxic to aquatic life. |
Aluminum Phosphide supplemental EU statements (EUH)
| Code | Statement |
|---|---|
| EUH029 | Contact with water liberates toxic gas. |
| EUH032 | Contact with acids liberates very toxic gas. |
This page lists only the codes assigned to Aluminum Phosphide. The full reference lives on the hazard statements hub, the precautionary statements hub and the GHS pictograms hub.
Safety Data Sheet
Getting an SDS for Aluminum Phosphide
A Safety Data Sheet is written for a product, not for a substance: the supplier of the grade you actually buy issues it, so two suppliers of Aluminum Phosphide issue two different sheets. That is why there is no single authoritative SDS for a substance to download — what there is, is the job of collecting the sheets for the products you hold and keeping them current as suppliers revise them.
04 · Precautionary statements
Aluminum Phosphide precautionary statements
CLP Annex VI assigns 13 precautionary statements to Aluminum Phosphide. They are grouped the way a label groups them: what to do before handling, what to do when something has already happened, how to store it and how to dispose of it.
Prevention
What to do before and during handling so the hazard never happens.
Response
What to do once exposure, spillage or fire has already happened.
Disposal
What has to happen to the contents and the empty container.
Reading the notation. … is a blank the supplier fills in — not a truncated sentence.· [square brackets] mark a part printed only when it applies.
05 · Names in the regulation
Aluminum Phosphide name in 23 EU languages
CLP Annex VI Part 3 is published in every language edition of the regulation, and the identification column is written out in each of them. Nothing below is translated by us: each line is the name as that edition prints it. Under Art. 18(2) the substance name from Annex VI is a lawful product identifier, so this is the wording to put on a label going to that market — and where the cell lists several designations, any one of them qualifies.
| Language | Name in CLP Annex VI Part 3 |
|---|---|
| Bulgarian български | алуминиев фосфид |
| Spanish español | Fosfuro de aluminio |
| Czech čeština | fosfid hlinitý |
| Danish dansk | aluminiumphosphid |
| German Deutsch | Aluminiumphosphid |
| Estonian eesti | alumiiniumfosfiid |
| Greek ελληνικά | φωσφορούχο αργίλιο |
| English English | aluminium phosphide |
| French français | phosphure d'aluminium |
| Croatian hrvatski | aluminijev fosfid |
| Italian italiano | fosfuro di alluminio |
| Latvian latviešu | alumīnija fosfīds |
| Lithuanian lietuvių | aliuminio fosfidas |
| Hungarian magyar | alumínium-foszfid |
| Maltese Malti | fosfur tal-aluminju |
| Dutch Nederlands | aluminiumfosfide |
| Polish polski | fosforek glinu(III) |
| Portuguese português | fosforeto de alumínio |
| Romanian română | fosfură de aluminiu |
| Slovak slovenčina | fosfid hlinitý |
| Slovenian slovenščina | aluminijev fosfid |
| Finnish suomi | alumiinifosfidi |
| Swedish svenska | aluminiumfosfid |
All 23 language editions of Annex VI carry this entry. Irish is the twenty-fourth official EU language and has no line here for a different reason: no consolidated CLP text has ever been published in Irish, so there is no Irish edition of Annex VI to quote a name from. Source: consolidated CLP, CELEX 02008R1272, language editions. © European Union, https://eur-lex.europa.eu — only the electronic Official Journal of the European Union is authentic.
06 · Label elements
Aluminum Phosphide GHS label elements
Everything CLP Annex VI fixes for Aluminum Phosphide, laid out the way it appears on a label. The greyed lines are the parts only the supplier can fill in.
Danger
Aluminum Phosphide
- In contact with water releases flammable gases which may ignite spontaneously.
- Fatal if inhaled.
- Fatal if swallowed.
- Toxic in contact with skin.
- Very toxic to aquatic life.
- Contact with water liberates toxic gas.
- Contact with acids liberates very toxic gas.
- Do not breathe dust/fume/gas/mist/vapours/spray.
- Do not eat, drink or smoke when using this product.
- Use only outdoors or in a well-ventilated area.
- Avoid release to the environment.
- Wear protective gloves/protective clothing/eye protection/face protection/hearing protection/…
- IF SWALLOWED:
- IF ON SKIN:
- IF INHALED:
- Immediately call a POISON CENTER/doctor/…
- Rinse mouth.
- Wash with plenty of water/…
- Collect spillage.
- Dispose of contents/container to …
Supplier name, address and telephone number· Product identifier·Nominal quantity
Need this as an actual label? Open Aluminum Phosphide in the GHS label constructor →
07 · Health hazards
Aluminum Phosphide health hazards and exposure limits
Aluminum Phosphide hazard summary
Reacts with water to form the highly toxic and flammable phosphine; [Hawley] See PHOSPHIDES. See Phosphine.
Source: Haz-Map, Information on Hazardous Chemicals and Occupational Diseases
08 · Physical and chemical properties
Aluminum Phosphide properties
Every value is shown with the conditions it was measured under and the source it came from. Where sources disagree, all values are listed rather than one being picked — the difference is usually a different form of the substance, not an error.
Aluminum Phosphide melting point
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melting point | 2550 °C (4622 °F) | HSDB | |
| 2500 °C (4532 °F) | ICSC | ||
| 1000 °C (1832 °F) | decomposes | CAMEO |
Aluminum Phosphide density
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Density | 2.9 g/cm³ | ICSC | |
| 2.4 g/cm³ | at 25 °C | HSDB | |
| 2.85 g/cm³ | at 25 °C | DOE PAC |
Aluminum Phosphide solubility
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solubility | Reacts with water | HSDB | |
| Though stable when dry, it reacts with moist air, and violently with acids. | HSDB | ||
| Solubility in water: reaction | ICSC |
Aluminum Phosphide vapor pressure
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vapor pressure | Very low, even at 1000 °C | at 1000 °C | HSDB |
Values compiled from PubChem Laboratory Chemical Safety Summary. Temperatures converted to Fahrenheit for reference.
09 · Fire and explosion
Aluminum Phosphide fire and explosion behaviour
These are descriptions rather than measured values, so they are kept out of the table above and quoted here with the source that reported them.
Aluminum Phosphide fire potential
This chemical is a combustible solid.
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
10 · Handling and storage
Aluminum Phosphide storage and handling
Aluminum Phosphide safe storage
Dry. Cool. Fireproof. Provision to contain effluent from fire extinguishing. Separated from water, other incompatible materials and food and feedstuffs. See Chemical Dangers.
Source: ILO-WHO International Chemical Safety Cards (ICSCs)
Aluminum Phosphide storage conditions
Always keep container closed, dry. Store in a noncombustible, nonsprinklered building away from all combustible material. Isolate from strong acids.
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Aluminum Phosphide incompatible materials
... In contact with water, steam or alkali it slowly yields /phosphine/ which is spontaneously flammable in air.
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Aluminum Phosphide reactivity
ALUMINUM PHOSPHIDE is a reducing agent. Contact with mineral acids causes explosive evolution of toxic phosphine [Wang, C. C. et al., J. Inorg. Nucl. Chem., 1963, 25, p. 327]. Heating produces highly toxic fumes of phosphorus oxides. Can react vigorously upon contact with oxidizing agents. [Sax, 9th ed., p. 119].
Source: CAMEO Chemicals
Planning storage for a mix of chemicals? Check Aluminum Phosphide in the storage compatibility matrix →
11 · Transport
Aluminum Phosphide UN number and transport classification
Transport classification is a separate system from the GHS classification above. It decides how a package is marked and how a load may be carried; it does not follow from the workplace label, and the workplace label does not follow from it. The entries below are linked by CAS number, never by name.
Aluminum Phosphide under UN 1397 — shipping name, class and packing group
Europe · ADR 2025, Table A
| Proper shipping name (3.1.2) | Class | Classification code | PG | Labels (column 5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALUMINIUM PHOSPHIDE | 4.3 | WT2 | I | |
Source: ADR 2025, Table A of Chapter 3.2 · ECE/TRANS/352 Vol. I (UNECE). Class 4.3 is “Substances which, in contact with water, emit flammable gases” (ADR 2.1.1.1).
United States · 49 CFR 172.101 Hazardous Materials Table
| Proper shipping name (column 2) | Class or division | PG | Labels (column 6) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aluminum phosphide | 4.3 | I | |
Source: 49 CFR 172.101 Hazardous Materials Table · eCFR, revision 2026-08-03. Class 4.3 is “Dangerous when wet material” (49 CFR 173.2).
12 · Questions
Aluminum Phosphide — frequently asked questions
What is the CAS number of Aluminum Phosphide?
The CAS number of Aluminum Phosphide is 20859-73-8. Its EC number is 244-088-0.
What is the chemical formula of Aluminum Phosphide?
The molecular formula of Aluminum Phosphide is AlP and its molecular weight is 57.955 g/mol.
What does a Aluminum Phosphide label have to show?
Under CLP Annex VI the label for Aluminum Phosphide carries the pictograms Flame, Skull and crossbones and Environment and the signal word is Danger.
Is Aluminum Phosphide flammable?
Yes. CLP Annex VI assigns Aluminum Phosphide H260 — in contact with water releases flammable gases which may ignite spontaneously.
Is Aluminum Phosphide a carcinogen?
CLP Annex VI records no harmonised carcinogenicity classification for Aluminum Phosphide. Annex VI is a list of agreed classifications, not a list of substances found safe, so this is an absence of a classification rather than a clean bill of health.
What is the melting point of Aluminum Phosphide?
The melting point reported for Aluminum Phosphide is 2550 °C (4622 °F) (HSDB).
How should Aluminum Phosphide be stored?
Always keep container closed, dry. Store in a noncombustible, nonsprinklered building away from all combustible material. Isolate from strong acids. (Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB))
Nearby
Substances next to Aluminum Phosphide
Keep going: substances starting with A, or search the whole database by name, CAS number, pictogram or signal word.