Substance profile
Chloroacetonitrile
Chloroacetonitrile is a colorless liquid with a pungent odor.
01 · Identification
What Chloroacetonitrile is
Chloroacetonitrile is a colorless liquid with a pungent odor. Its molecular formula is C2H2ClN and its molecular weight is 75.5 g/mol. It boils at 127 °C, is soluble in water.
Under the GHS it carries the signal word Danger. It is classed as flammable agents - 2nd degree.
02 · Identifiers
Chloroacetonitrile identifiers and molecular data
Chloroacetonitrile CAS number and EC number
Chloroacetonitrile molecular formula and molecular weight
03 · GHS classification
Chloroacetonitrile hazard classification
Harmonised classification under CLP Annex VI. This is the legally binding classification in the EU; other jurisdictions may differ.
Chloroacetonitrile pictograms and signal word
Chloroacetonitrile hazard class and category
| Hazard class | Category | From code | Pictogram |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acute toxicity - oral GHS chapter 3.1 | Category 3 | H301 | GHS06 |
| Acute toxicity - dermal GHS chapter 3.1 | Category 3 | H311 | GHS06 |
| Acute toxicity - inhalation GHS chapter 3.1 | Category 3 | H331 | GHS06 |
| Hazardous to the aquatic environment - chronic GHS chapter 4.1 | Category 2 | H411 | GHS09 |
Chloroacetonitrile hazard statements (H-codes)
| Code | Hazard statement |
|---|---|
| H331 | Toxic if inhaled. |
| H311 | Toxic in contact with skin. |
| H301 | Toxic if swallowed. |
| H411 | Toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects. |
This page lists only the codes assigned to Chloroacetonitrile. 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 Chloroacetonitrile
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 Chloroacetonitrile 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
Chloroacetonitrile precautionary statements
CLP Annex VI assigns 13 precautionary statements to Chloroacetonitrile. 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
Chloroacetonitrile 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 | хлороацетонитрил |
| Spanish español | Cloroacetonitrilo |
| Czech čeština | chloracetonitril |
| Danish dansk | chloracetonitril |
| German Deutsch | Chloracetonitril |
| Estonian eesti | kloroatsetonitriil |
| Greek ελληνικά | χλωροακετονιτρίλιο |
| English English | chloroacetonitrile |
| French français | chloroacétonitrile |
| Croatian hrvatski | kloracetonitril |
| Italian italiano | cloroacetonitrile |
| Latvian latviešu | hloracetonitrils |
| Lithuanian lietuvių | chloracetonitrilas |
| Hungarian magyar | klóracetonitril |
| Maltese Malti | kloroaċetonitril |
| Dutch Nederlands | chlooracetonitril |
| Polish polski | chloroacetonitryl cyjanek chlorometylunitryl kwasu chlorooctowego |
| Portuguese português | cloroacetonitrilo |
| Romanian română | cloroacetonitril |
| Slovak slovenčina | chlóracetonitril |
| Slovenian slovenščina | kloroacetonitril |
| Finnish suomi | klooriasetonitriili |
| Swedish svenska | kloracetonitril |
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
Chloroacetonitrile GHS label elements
Everything CLP Annex VI fixes for Chloroacetonitrile, laid out the way it appears on a label. The greyed lines are the parts only the supplier can fill in.
Danger
Chloroacetonitrile
- Toxic if inhaled.
- Toxic in contact with skin.
- Toxic if swallowed.
- Toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects.
- 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 Chloroacetonitrile in the GHS label constructor →
07 · Health hazards
Chloroacetonitrile health hazards and exposure limits
Chloroacetonitrile hazard summary
A lachrymator; Burns the skin and eyes; Reacts with water and acids to form hydrogen chloride; Hydrogen cyanide and hydrogen chloride are produced in a fire; [CAMEO] See NITRILES.
Source: Haz-Map, Information on Hazardous Chemicals and Occupational Diseases
Chloroacetonitrile carcinogenicity classification
Evaluation: No epidemiological data relevant to the carcinogenicity of chloroacetonitrile were available. There is inadequate evidence for the carcinogenicity of chloroacetonitrile in experimental animals. Overall evaluation: Chloroacetonitrile 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.
Chloroacetonitrile occupational exposure limits
| Limit | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| IDLH | 14 ppm [From IDLH Table: Chloroacetonitrile] (NIOSH, 2024) | CAMEO Chemicals |
| IDLH | 14.0 [ppm] | Haz-Map, Information on Hazardous Chemicals and Occupational Diseases |
These are United States values. The European Union sets its own indicative and binding limits, and the figure that applies at a given workplace is the one in the local regulation — not the one shown here.
08 · Physical and chemical properties
Chloroacetonitrile 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.
Chloroacetonitrile boiling point
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boiling point | 126.5 °C (259.7 °F) | HSDB | |
| 126 °C (258.8 °F) | ICSC | ||
| 126.5 °C (259.7 °F) | at 760 mmHg | DOE PAC |
Chloroacetonitrile density
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Density | 1.19 g/cm³ | ICSC | |
| 1.193 g/cm³ | at 20 °C | HSDB |
Chloroacetonitrile solubility
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solubility | Soluble in hydrocarbons, alcohols | HSDB | |
| In ether and ethanol | HSDB | ||
| In water, > 1X10+5 mg/L, temperature not specified | HSDB |
Chloroacetonitrile vapor pressure
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vapor pressure | 8 mmHg | at 20 °C | HSDB |
| 8.7007 mmHg | at 20 °C | ICSC | |
| 15 mmHg | at 30 °C | DOE PAC |
Chloroacetonitrile flash point
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flash point | 47.78 °C (118 °F) | CAMEO | |
| 47 °C (116.6 °F) | ICSC |
Chloroacetonitrile lower explosive limit (LEL)
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower explosive limit (LEL) | Combustible liquid. | HSDB | |
| Explosive limits , vol% in air: 1.0-? | ICSC |
Chloroacetonitrile vapor density
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vapor density | 2.61 (air = 1) | HSDB |
Values compiled from PubChem Laboratory Chemical Safety Summary. Temperatures converted to Fahrenheit for reference.
09 · Fire and explosion
Chloroacetonitrile 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.
Chloroacetonitrile fire potential
Flammable liquid.
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
10 · Handling and storage
Chloroacetonitrile storage and handling
Chloroacetonitrile safe storage
Fireproof. Separated from strong oxidants, strong bases, strong acids and food and feedstuffs. Well closed. Cool. Ventilation along the floor.
Source: ILO-WHO International Chemical Safety Cards (ICSCs)
Chloroacetonitrile storage conditions
Store in a cool, dry well-ventilated location. Separate from acids, alkalies, oxidizing materials, and reducing agents. Outside or detached storage preferred.
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Chloroacetonitrile incompatible materials
Incompatible with strong oxidizers such as acids, acid salts, chlorates and nitrates. /Cyanides/
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Chloroacetonitrile reactivity
CHLOROACETONITRILE reacts with water, steam, strong acids or acid fumes to produce toxic vapors of hydrogen chloride. When heated to decomposition, it emits highly toxic fumes of hydrogen cyanide and hydrogen chloride [Sax, 2nd ed., 1963, p. 600].
Source: CAMEO Chemicals
Planning storage for a mix of chemicals? Check Chloroacetonitrile in the storage compatibility matrix →
11 · Transport
Chloroacetonitrile 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.
Chloroacetonitrile under UN 2668 — shipping name, class and packing group
Europe · ADR 2025, Table A
| Proper shipping name (3.1.2) | Class | Classification code | PG | Labels (column 5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHLOROACETONITRILE | 6.1 | TF1 | I | |
Source: ADR 2025, Table A of Chapter 3.2 · ECE/TRANS/352 Vol. I (UNECE). Class 6.1 is “Toxic substances” (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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chloroacetonitrile | 6.1 | I | |
Source: 49 CFR 172.101 Hazardous Materials Table · eCFR, revision 2026-08-03. Class 6.1 is “Poisonous materials” (49 CFR 173.2).
12 · Questions
Chloroacetonitrile — frequently asked questions
What is the CAS number of Chloroacetonitrile?
The CAS number of Chloroacetonitrile is 107-14-2. Its EC number is 203-467-0.
What is the chemical formula of Chloroacetonitrile?
The molecular formula of Chloroacetonitrile is C2H2ClN and its molecular weight is 75.5 g/mol.
What does a Chloroacetonitrile label have to show?
Under CLP Annex VI the label for Chloroacetonitrile carries the pictograms Skull and crossbones and Environment and the signal word is Danger.
Is Chloroacetonitrile flammable?
CLP Annex VI assigns Chloroacetonitrile 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 47.78 °C (118 °F) (CAMEO).
Is Chloroacetonitrile a carcinogen?
CLP Annex VI records no harmonised carcinogenicity classification for Chloroacetonitrile. 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 Chloroacetonitrile?
The boiling point reported for Chloroacetonitrile is 126.5 °C (259.7 °F) (HSDB).
How should Chloroacetonitrile be stored?
Store in a cool, dry well-ventilated location. Separate from acids, alkalies, oxidizing materials, and reducing agents. Outside or detached storage preferred. (Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB))
Nearby
Substances next to Chloroacetonitrile
Keep going: substances starting with C, or search the whole database by name, CAS number, pictogram or signal word.