Substance profile
Benzyl Alcohol
Benzyl Alcohol is a water-white liquid with a faint aromatic odor.
01 · Identification
What Benzyl Alcohol is
Benzyl Alcohol is a water-white liquid with a faint aromatic odor. Its molecular formula is C7H8O and its molecular weight is 108.14 g/mol. It boils at 205 °C, melts at -15.2 °C.
Under the GHS it carries the signal word Warning.
02 · Identifiers
Benzyl Alcohol identifiers and molecular data
Benzyl Alcohol CAS number and EC number
Benzyl Alcohol molecular formula and molecular weight
03 · GHS classification
Benzyl Alcohol hazard classification
Harmonised classification under CLP Annex VI. This is the legally binding classification in the EU; other jurisdictions may differ.
Benzyl Alcohol pictograms and signal word
Benzyl Alcohol hazard class and category
| Hazard class | Category | From code | Pictogram |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acute toxicity - oral GHS chapter 3.1 | Category 4 | H302 | GHS07 |
| Serious eye damage/eye irritation GHS chapter 3.3 | Category 2A | H319 | GHS07 |
| Skin sensitisation GHS chapter 3.4 | Category 1 or 1A or 1B | H317 | GHS07 |
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.
Benzyl Alcohol hazard statements (H-codes)
| Code | Hazard statement |
|---|---|
| H302 | Harmful if swallowed. |
| H319 | Causes serious eye irritation. |
| H317 | May cause an allergic skin reaction. |
This page lists only the codes assigned to Benzyl Alcohol. 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 Benzyl Alcohol
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 Benzyl Alcohol 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
Benzyl Alcohol precautionary statements
CLP Annex VI assigns 13 precautionary statements to Benzyl Alcohol. 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.
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
Benzyl Alcohol 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 | бензилов алкохол |
| Spanish español | Alcohol bencílico |
| Czech čeština | benzylalkohol |
| Danish dansk | benzylalkohol |
| German Deutsch | Benzylalkohol |
| Estonian eesti | bensüülalkohol |
| Greek ελληνικά | βενζυλική αλκοόλη |
| English English | benzyl alcohol |
| French français | alcool benzylique |
| Croatian hrvatski | benzilni alkohol |
| Italian italiano | alcol benzilico |
| Latvian latviešu | benzilspirts |
| Lithuanian lietuvių | benzilo alkoholis |
| Hungarian magyar | benzil-alkohol |
| Maltese Malti | alkoħol benżiliku |
| Dutch Nederlands | benzylalcohol |
| Polish polski | alkohol benzylowy |
| Portuguese português | álcool benzílico |
| Romanian română | alcool benzilic |
| Slovak slovenčina | benzylalkohol |
| Slovenian slovenščina | benzil alkohol |
| Finnish suomi | bentsyylialkoholi |
| Swedish svenska | bensylalkohol |
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
Benzyl Alcohol GHS label elements
Everything CLP Annex VI fixes for Benzyl Alcohol, laid out the way it appears on a label. The greyed lines are the parts only the supplier can fill in.
Warning
Benzyl Alcohol
- Harmful if swallowed.
- Causes serious eye irritation.
- May cause an allergic skin reaction.
- Avoid breathing dust/fume/gas/mist/vapours/spray.
- Wash … thoroughly after handling.
- Do not eat, drink or smoke when using this product.
- Contaminated work clothing should not be allowed out of the workplace.
- Wear protective gloves/protective clothing/eye protection/face protection/hearing protection/…
- IF SWALLOWED:
- IF IN EYES:
- Call a POISON CENTER/doctor/… if you feel unwell.
- Get medical advice/attention.
- Rinse mouth.
- If skin irritation or rash occurs:
- If eye irritation persists:
- Remove contact lenses, if present and easy to do. Continue rinsing.
Supplier name, address and telephone number· Product identifier·Nominal quantity
Need this as an actual label? Open Benzyl Alcohol in the GHS label constructor →
07 · Health hazards
Benzyl Alcohol health hazards and exposure limits
Benzyl Alcohol hazard summary
Rarely causes allergic contact dermatitis; [Marks, p. 136] Occupational contact urticaria has been reported. [PMID 11766131] A skin and eye irritant; Inhalation of high concentrations may cause CNS effects; May cause skin sensitization; [ICSC] No deaths in rats exposed to saturated concentrations (100-200 ppm) for 2 hours; Rapidly metabolized to hippuric acid; Has caused deaths in premature infants when given in IV solutions >4.5 mg/kg-day; [AIHA] Included in list of established contact allergens in humans; [EC: Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety: Fragrance allergens in cosmetic products (2011)]
Source: Haz-Map, Information on Hazardous Chemicals and Occupational Diseases
Benzyl Alcohol carcinogenicity classification
Under the conditions of these 2-year gavage studies, there was no evidence of carcinogenic activity of benzyl alcohol for male or female F344/N rats dosed with 200 or 400 mg/kg. Survival in both dose groups of female rats was 50% that of vehicle controls, primarily due to an increased number of gavage-related deaths. There was no evidence of carcinogenic activity of benzyl alcohol for male or female B6C3F1 mice dosed with 100 or 200 mg/kg for 2 years.
Source: US National Toxicology Program · TR-343: Toxicology and Carcinogenesis Studies of Benzyl Alcohol (CASRN 100-51-6) in F344/N Rats and B6C3F1 Mice (Gavage Studies) (1989 )
An IARC group and a CLP classification answer different questions. IARC judges whether the evidence for cancer in humans is strong enough; CLP Annex VI is the legally binding EU classification. A substance can carry one and not the other.
08 · Physical and chemical properties
Benzyl Alcohol 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.
Benzyl Alcohol boiling point
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boiling point | 205.3 °C (401.5 °F) | HSDB | |
| 205 °C (401 °F) | at 760 mmHg | CAMEO | |
| 205 °C (401 °F) | ICSC |
Benzyl Alcohol melting point
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melting point | -15.2 °C (4.6 °F) | HSDB | |
| -15.28 °C (4.5 °F) | CAMEO | ||
| -15 °C (5 °F) | ICSC |
Benzyl Alcohol density
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Density | 1.04 g/cm³ | ICSC | |
| 1.05 g/cm³ | OSHA | ||
| 1.0419 g/cm³ | at 24 °C | HSDB |
Benzyl Alcohol solubility
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solubility | Soluble in benzene, methanol, chloroform, ethanol, ether, methanol, chloroform and acetone | HSDB | |
| In water, 35,000 mg/L at 20 °C | at 20 °C | HSDB | |
| In water, 42,900 mg/L at 25 °C | at 25 °C | HSDB |
Benzyl Alcohol vapor pressure
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vapor pressure | 0.1 mmHg | at 20 °C | CAMEO |
| 0.099 mmHg | at 20 °C | ICSC | |
| 0.094 mmHg | at 25 °C | HSDB |
Benzyl Alcohol flash point
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flash point | 100.56 °C (213 °F) | HSDB | |
| 104.44 °C (220 °F) | HSDB | ||
| 93.33 °C (200 °F) | HSDB |
Benzyl Alcohol autoignition temperature
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autoignition temperature | 436.11 °C (817 °F) | HSDB | |
| 436 °C (816.8 °F) | ICSC |
Benzyl Alcohol lower explosive limit (LEL)
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower explosive limit (LEL) | 1.3 % by volume | CAMEO |
Benzyl Alcohol upper explosive limit (UEL)
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper explosive limit (UEL) | 13 % by volume | CAMEO |
Benzyl Alcohol vapor density
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vapor density | 3.72 (air = 1) | HSDB | |
| 3.7 (air = 1) | ICSC |
Benzyl Alcohol odor threshold
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Odor threshold | 5.5 ppm | HSDB | |
| Odor Threshold Low: 5.5 [ppm] | Haz-Map | ||
| Odor threshold from CHEMINFO | Haz-Map |
Benzyl Alcohol critical temperature and pressure
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Critical temperature and pressure | 441.85 °C (827.3 °F) | HSDB |
Benzyl Alcohol corrosivity
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corrosivity | Will attack some plastics | HSDB |
Values compiled from PubChem Laboratory Chemical Safety Summary. Temperatures converted to Fahrenheit for reference.
09 · Fire and explosion
Benzyl Alcohol 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.
Benzyl Alcohol fire potential
Slight, when exposed to heat or flame ...
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
10 · Handling and storage
Benzyl Alcohol storage and handling
Benzyl Alcohol peroxide formation
B: Compounds that form peroxides on concentration (distillation/evaporation)
Source: Lab and Research Safety, University of Minnesota
Benzyl Alcohol safe storage
Separated from strong oxidants.
Source: ILO-WHO International Chemical Safety Cards (ICSCs)
Benzyl Alcohol storage conditions
Benzyl alcohol is stored in stainless steel tanks. Because benzyl alcohol oxidizes readily, it is advisable to cover the surface of the liquid with nitrogen.
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Benzyl Alcohol incompatible materials
Mixtures with sulfuric acid decompose expliosively at 180 °C.
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Planning storage for a mix of chemicals? Check Benzyl Alcohol in the storage compatibility matrix →
11 · Questions
Benzyl Alcohol — frequently asked questions
What is the CAS number of Benzyl Alcohol?
The CAS number of Benzyl Alcohol is 100-51-6. Its EC number is 202-859-9.
What is the chemical formula of Benzyl Alcohol?
The molecular formula of Benzyl Alcohol is C7H8O and its molecular weight is 108.14 g/mol.
What does a Benzyl Alcohol label have to show?
Under CLP Annex VI the label for Benzyl Alcohol carries the pictogram Exclamation mark and the signal word is Warning.
Is Benzyl Alcohol flammable?
CLP Annex VI assigns Benzyl Alcohol no flammability hazard class. That is not a statement that it cannot burn: the harmonised list only records the hazards that were assessed for it. The flash point reported for it is 100.56 °C (213 °F) (HSDB).
Is Benzyl Alcohol a carcinogen?
CLP Annex VI records no harmonised carcinogenicity classification for Benzyl Alcohol. 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 boiling point of Benzyl Alcohol?
The boiling point reported for Benzyl Alcohol is 205.3 °C (401.5 °F) (HSDB).
What is the melting point of Benzyl Alcohol?
The melting point reported for Benzyl Alcohol is -15.2 °C (4.6 °F) (HSDB).
How should Benzyl Alcohol be stored?
Benzyl alcohol is stored in stainless steel tanks. Because benzyl alcohol oxidizes readily, it is advisable to cover the surface of the liquid with nitrogen. (Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB))
Nearby
Substances next to Benzyl Alcohol
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