Substance profile
Colchicine
Colchicine is pale yellow scales or powder; pale yellow needles when crystallized from ethyl acetate and is odorless.
01 · Identification
What Colchicine is
Colchicine is pale yellow scales or powder; pale yellow needles when crystallized from ethyl acetate and is odorless. Its molecular formula is C22H25NO6 and its molecular weight is 399.4 g/mol. It boils at 407 °C, melts at 146 °C.
Under the GHS it carries the signal word Danger. It is classed as teratogens.
02 · Identifiers
Colchicine identifiers and molecular data
Colchicine CAS number and EC number
Colchicine molecular formula and molecular weight
03 · GHS classification
Colchicine hazard classification
Harmonised classification under CLP Annex VI. This is the legally binding classification in the EU; other jurisdictions may differ.
Colchicine pictograms and signal word
Colchicine hazard class and category
| Hazard class | Category | From code | Pictogram |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acute toxicity - oral GHS chapter 3.1 | Category 1 or 2 | H300 | GHS06 |
| Germ cell mutagenicity GHS chapter 3.5 | Category 1A or 1B | H340 | GHS08 |
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.
Colchicine hazard statements (H-codes)
| Code | Hazard statement |
|---|---|
| H340 | May cause genetic defects <state route of exposure if it is conclusively proven that no other routes of exposure cause the hazard>. |
| H300 | Fatal if swallowed. |
This page lists only the codes assigned to Colchicine. 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 Colchicine
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 Colchicine 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
Colchicine precautionary statements
CLP Annex VI assigns 8 precautionary statements to Colchicine. 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
Colchicine 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 | колхицин |
| Spanish español | Colchicina |
| Czech čeština | kolchicin (6 R )- N -(1,2,3,10-tetramethoxy-9-oxo-5,6,7,9-tetrahydrobenzo[ a ]heptalen-7-yl)acetamid |
| Danish dansk | colchicin |
| German Deutsch | Colchicin 7-Acetamido-1,2,3,10-tetramethoxy-5,6,7,9-tetrahydrobenzo[a]heptalen-9-on |
| Estonian eesti | kolhitsiin |
| Greek ελληνικά | κολχικίνη |
| English English | colchicine |
| French français | colchicine |
| Croatian hrvatski | kolhicin |
| Italian italiano | colchicina |
| Latvian latviešu | kolhicīns |
| Lithuanian lietuvių | kolchicinas |
| Hungarian magyar | kolhicin |
| Maltese Malti | kolċisina |
| Dutch Nederlands | colchicine |
| Polish polski | kolchicyna |
| Portuguese português | colquicina |
| Romanian română | colchicină |
| Slovak slovenčina | kolchicín |
| Slovenian slovenščina | kolhicin |
| Finnish suomi | kolkisiini |
| Swedish svenska | kolkicin |
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
Colchicine GHS label elements
Everything CLP Annex VI fixes for Colchicine, laid out the way it appears on a label. The greyed lines are the parts only the supplier can fill in.
Danger
Colchicine
- May cause genetic defects <state route of exposure if it is conclusively proven that no other routes of exposure cause the hazard>.
- Fatal if swallowed.
- Obtain special instructions before use.
- Do not eat, drink or smoke when using this product.
- Wear protective gloves/protective clothing/eye protection/face protection/hearing protection/…
- IF SWALLOWED:
- IF exposed or concerned:
- Immediately call a POISON CENTER/doctor/…
- Get medical advice/attention.
- Rinse mouth.
Supplier name, address and telephone number· Product identifier·Nominal quantity
Need this as an actual label? Open Colchicine in the GHS label constructor →
07 · Physical and chemical properties
Colchicine 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.
Colchicine boiling point
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boiling point | 407 °C (764.6 °F) | at 760 mmHg | DOE PAC |
| 522.37 °C (972.3 °F) | DrugBank |
Colchicine melting point
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melting point | 146 °C (294.8 °F) | range, midpoint shown | HSDB |
| 146.11 °C (295 °F) | range, midpoint shown | CAMEO | |
| 155 °C (311 °F) | range, midpoint shown | DrugBank |
Colchicine solubility
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solubility | 1 g dissolves in 22 mL water, 220 mL ether, 100 mL benzene; freely sol in alcohol or chloroform; practically insoluble in petroleum ether | HSDB | |
| SOL IN METHANOL; SLIGHTLY SOL IN CARBON TETRACHLORIDE | HSDB | ||
| At 25 °C, 4.5 g/100 g water | at 25 °C | HSDB |
Colchicine vapor pressure
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vapor pressure | 0.00001 mmHg | at 25 °C | DOE PAC |
Values compiled from PubChem Laboratory Chemical Safety Summary. Temperatures converted to Fahrenheit for reference.
08 · Fire and explosion
Colchicine 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.
Colchicine fire potential
Slight.
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
09 · Handling and storage
Colchicine storage and handling
Colchicine reactivity
COLCHICINE darkens on exposure to light. Incompatible with strong oxidizing agents. Also incompatible with mineral acids (NTP, 1992).
Source: CAMEO Chemicals
Planning storage for a mix of chemicals? Check Colchicine in the storage compatibility matrix →
10 · Questions
Colchicine — frequently asked questions
What is the CAS number of Colchicine?
The CAS number of Colchicine is 64-86-8. Its EC number is 200-598-5.
What is the chemical formula of Colchicine?
The molecular formula of Colchicine is C22H25NO6 and its molecular weight is 399.4 g/mol.
What does a Colchicine label have to show?
Under CLP Annex VI the label for Colchicine carries the pictograms Skull and crossbones and Health hazard and the signal word is Danger.
Is Colchicine flammable?
CLP Annex VI assigns Colchicine 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 Colchicine a carcinogen?
CLP Annex VI records no harmonised carcinogenicity classification for Colchicine. 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 Colchicine?
The boiling point reported for Colchicine is 407 °C (764.6 °F), at 760 mmHg (DOE PAC).
What is the melting point of Colchicine?
The melting point reported for Colchicine is 146 °C (294.8 °F), range, midpoint shown (HSDB).
Nearby
Substances next to Colchicine
Keep going: substances starting with C, or search the whole database by name, CAS number, pictogram or signal word.