Substance profile
Caffeine
Caffeine is white, prismatic crystals and is odorless.
01 · Identification
What Caffeine is
Caffeine is white, prismatic crystals and is odorless. Its molecular formula is C8H10N4O2 and its molecular weight is 194.19 g/mol. It boils at 178 °C, melts at 236 °C.
Under the GHS it carries the signal word Warning.
02 · Identifiers
Caffeine identifiers and molecular data
Caffeine CAS number and EC number
Caffeine molecular formula and molecular weight
03 · GHS classification
Caffeine hazard classification
Harmonised classification under CLP Annex VI. This is the legally binding classification in the EU; other jurisdictions may differ.
Caffeine pictograms and signal word
Caffeine hazard class and category
| Hazard class | Category | From code | Pictogram |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acute toxicity - oral GHS chapter 3.1 | Category 4 | H302 | GHS07 |
Caffeine hazard statements (H-codes)
| Code | Hazard statement |
|---|---|
| H302 | Harmful if swallowed. |
This page lists only the codes assigned to Caffeine. 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 Caffeine
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 Caffeine 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
Caffeine precautionary statements
CLP Annex VI assigns 4 precautionary statements to Caffeine. 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
Caffeine 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 | кофеин |
| Spanish español | Cafeína |
| Czech čeština | kofein |
| Danish dansk | coffein |
| German Deutsch | Caffein Coffein |
| Estonian eesti | kofeiin |
| Greek ελληνικά | καφεΐνη |
| English English | caffeine |
| French français | caféine |
| Croatian hrvatski | kofein |
| Italian italiano | caffeina |
| Latvian latviešu | kofeīns |
| Lithuanian lietuvių | kofeinas |
| Hungarian magyar | koffein |
| Maltese Malti | kafeina |
| Dutch Nederlands | cafeïne |
| Polish polski | kofeina |
| Portuguese português | cafeína |
| Romanian română | cafeină |
| Slovak slovenčina | kofeín 1,3,7-trimetyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropurín-2,6-dión |
| Slovenian slovenščina | kofein |
| Finnish suomi | kofeiini |
| Swedish svenska | koffein |
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
Caffeine GHS label elements
Everything CLP Annex VI fixes for Caffeine, laid out the way it appears on a label. The greyed lines are the parts only the supplier can fill in.
Warning
Caffeine
- Harmful if swallowed.
- Do not eat, drink or smoke when using this product.
- IF SWALLOWED:
- Call a POISON CENTER/doctor/… if you feel unwell.
- Rinse mouth.
Supplier name, address and telephone number· Product identifier·Nominal quantity
Need this as an actual label? Open Caffeine in the GHS label constructor →
07 · Health hazards
Caffeine health hazards and exposure limits
Caffeine carcinogenicity classification
Evaluation: There is inadequate evidence for the carcinogenicity in humans of caffeine. There is inadequate evidence for the carcinogenicity in experimental animals of caffeine. Overall evaluation: Caffeine is not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans (Group 3).
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
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
Caffeine 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.
Caffeine boiling point
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boiling point | 178 °C (352.4 °F) | sublimes, sublimes | HSDB |
| 177.78 °C (352 °F) | sublimes, at 760 mmHg | CAMEO |
Caffeine melting point
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melting point | 236.2 °C (457.2 °F) | HSDB | |
| 237.78 °C (460 °F) | CAMEO | ||
| 235 °C (455 °F) | ICSC |
Caffeine density
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Density | 1.23 g/cm³ | ICSC | |
| 1.23 g/cm³ | at 18 °C | HSDB | |
| 1.23 g/cm³ | at 17.78 °C | CAMEO |
Caffeine solubility
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solubility | Solubility in water is increased by alkali benzoates, cinnamates, citrates or salicylates | HSDB | |
| Soluble in pyridine | HSDB | ||
| In water, 2.16X10+4 mg/L at 25 °C | at 25 °C | HSDB |
Caffeine vapor pressure
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vapor pressure | 9e-7 mmHg | at 25 °C | HSDB |
| 1e-8 mmHg | Haz-Map |
Caffeine odor threshold
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Odor threshold | Aroma threshold values: Detection at 29 to 300 ppm | HSDB |
Values compiled from PubChem Laboratory Chemical Safety Summary. Temperatures converted to Fahrenheit for reference.
09 · Fire and explosion
Caffeine 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.
Caffeine fire potential
Combustible.
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
10 · Handling and storage
Caffeine storage and handling
Caffeine safe storage
Separated from food and feedstuffs. Well closed.
Source: ILO-WHO International Chemical Safety Cards (ICSCs)
Caffeine storage conditions
Separated from food and feedstuffs. Well closed.
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Caffeine reactivity
CAFFEINE may be hygroscopic. Aqueous solutions (1.12 mg/mL) are stable for three weeks at 41 °F if protected from light. In normal room lighting and at room temperature, solutions are stable for 3 days. Solutions of this chemical in water, DMSO, 95% ethanol or acetone should be stable for 24 hours under normal lab conditions. REACTIVITY: This compound may react with strong oxidizing agents. It is also incompatible with iodine, silver salts and tannins. This compound is a very weak base. It is decomposed by strong solutions of caustic alkalis. (NTP, 1992)
Source: CAMEO Chemicals
Planning storage for a mix of chemicals? Check Caffeine in the storage compatibility matrix →
11 · Questions
Caffeine — frequently asked questions
What is the CAS number of Caffeine?
The CAS number of Caffeine is 58-08-2. Its EC number is 200-362-1.
What is the chemical formula of Caffeine?
The molecular formula of Caffeine is C8H10N4O2 and its molecular weight is 194.19 g/mol.
What does a Caffeine label have to show?
Under CLP Annex VI the label for Caffeine carries the pictogram Exclamation mark and the signal word is Warning.
Is Caffeine flammable?
CLP Annex VI assigns Caffeine 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.
Is Caffeine a carcinogen?
CLP Annex VI records no harmonised carcinogenicity classification for Caffeine. 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. IARC places it in Group 3: not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans.
What is the boiling point of Caffeine?
The boiling point reported for Caffeine is 178 °C (352.4 °F), sublimes, sublimes (HSDB).
What is the melting point of Caffeine?
The melting point reported for Caffeine is 236.2 °C (457.2 °F) (HSDB).
How should Caffeine be stored?
Separated from food and feedstuffs. Well closed. (Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB))
Nearby
Substances next to Caffeine
Keep going: substances starting with C, or search the whole database by name, CAS number, pictogram or signal word.