Substance profile
Ethyl chloroacetate
Ethyl chloroacetate is a water-white mobile liq with a fruity pungent odor.
01 · Identification
What Ethyl chloroacetate is
Ethyl chloroacetate is a water-white mobile liq with a fruity pungent odor. Its molecular formula is C4H7ClO2 and its molecular weight is 122.55 g/mol. It boils at 143 °C, melts at -26 °C.
Under the GHS it carries the signal word Danger. It is classed as flammable agents - 2nd degree.
02 · Identifiers
Ethyl chloroacetate identifiers and molecular data
Ethyl chloroacetate CAS number and EC number
Ethyl chloroacetate molecular formula and molecular weight
03 · GHS classification
Ethyl chloroacetate hazard classification
Harmonised classification under CLP Annex VI. This is the legally binding classification in the EU; other jurisdictions may differ.
Ethyl chloroacetate pictograms and signal word
Ethyl chloroacetate 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 - acute GHS chapter 4.1 | Category 1 | H400 | GHS09 |
Ethyl chloroacetate hazard statements (H-codes)
| Code | Hazard statement |
|---|---|
| H331 | Toxic if inhaled. |
| H311 | Toxic in contact with skin. |
| H301 | Toxic if swallowed. |
| H400 | Very toxic to aquatic life. |
This page lists only the codes assigned to Ethyl chloroacetate. 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 Ethyl chloroacetate
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 Ethyl chloroacetate 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
Ethyl chloroacetate precautionary statements
CLP Annex VI assigns 13 precautionary statements to Ethyl chloroacetate. 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
Ethyl chloroacetate 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 | етилов хлороацетат |
| Spanish español | Cloroacetato de etilo |
| Czech čeština | ethyl-chloracetát |
| Danish dansk | ethylchloracetat |
| German Deutsch | Chloressigsäureethylester Ethylchloracetat |
| Estonian eesti | etüülkloroatsetaat |
| Greek ελληνικά | χλωροξικός αιθυλεστέρας χλωροξικό αιθύλιο |
| English English | ethyl chloroacetate |
| French français | chloroacétate d'éthyle |
| Croatian hrvatski | etil-kloracetat |
| Italian italiano | cloroacetato di etile etile cloroacetato |
| Latvian latviešu | etilhloracetāts |
| Lithuanian lietuvių | etilchloracetatas |
| Hungarian magyar | etil-klóracetát |
| Maltese Malti | kloroaċetat tal-etil |
| Dutch Nederlands | ethylchlooracetaat |
| Polish polski | chlorooctan etylu ester etylowy kwasu chlorooctowego |
| Portuguese português | cloroacetato de etilo |
| Romanian română | cloroacetat de etil |
| Slovak slovenčina | etyl-chlóracetát |
| Slovenian slovenščina | etil kloroacetat |
| Finnish suomi | etyyliklooriasetaatti |
| Swedish svenska | etylkloracetat |
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
Ethyl chloroacetate GHS label elements
Everything CLP Annex VI fixes for Ethyl chloroacetate, laid out the way it appears on a label. The greyed lines are the parts only the supplier can fill in.
Danger
Ethyl chloroacetate
- Toxic if inhaled.
- Toxic in contact with skin.
- Toxic if swallowed.
- Very toxic to aquatic life.
- 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 Ethyl chloroacetate in the GHS label constructor →
07 · Health hazards
Ethyl chloroacetate health hazards and exposure limits
Ethyl chloroacetate hazard summary
A skin, eye, and respiratory tract irritant; May cause skin sensitization; [ICSC] Toxic by inhalation, skin absorption, and ingestion; [ESIS] May cause pulmonary edema; Strong lachrymator; [HSDB] No sensitizing effects known; Causes lacrimation; [MSDSonline]
Source: Haz-Map, Information on Hazardous Chemicals and Occupational Diseases
08 · Physical and chemical properties
Ethyl chloroacetate 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.
Ethyl chloroacetate boiling point
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boiling point | 142.78 °C (289 °F) | at 760 mmHg | CAMEO |
| 144.2 °C (291.6 °F) | ICSC | ||
| 144 °C (291.2 °F) | at 760 mmHg | DOE PAC |
Ethyl chloroacetate melting point
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melting point | -26 °C (-14.8 °F) | HSDB | |
| -26.11 °C (-15 °F) | CAMEO |
Ethyl chloroacetate density
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Density | 1.15 g/cm³ | ICSC | |
| 1.1498 g/cm³ | at 20 °C | HSDB | |
| 1.15 g/cm³ | at 20 °C | CAMEO |
Ethyl chloroacetate solubility
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solubility | Insol in water; miscible with alc, ether | HSDB | |
| Sol in benzene | HSDB | ||
| Insoluble in water, miscible in ethanol, acetone and ethyl ether | HSDB |
Ethyl chloroacetate vapor pressure
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vapor pressure | 3.3753 mmHg | at 20 °C | ICSC |
| 4.87 mmHg | at 25 °C | HSDB | |
| 10 mmHg | at 37.5 °C | HSDB |
Ethyl chloroacetate flash point
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flash point | 63.89 °C (147 °F) | HSDB | |
| 37.78 °C (100 °F) | CAMEO | ||
| 53 °C (127.4 °F) | ICSC |
Ethyl chloroacetate autoignition temperature
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autoignition temperature | 452 °C (845.6 °F) | ICSC |
Ethyl chloroacetate vapor density
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vapor density | 4.2 (air = 1) | ICSC | |
| 4.345 (air = 1) | range, midpoint shown | HSDB |
Ethyl chloroacetate critical temperature and pressure
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Critical temperature and pressure | 344.85 °C (652.7 °F) | HSDB |
Values compiled from PubChem Laboratory Chemical Safety Summary. Temperatures converted to Fahrenheit for reference.
09 · Fire and explosion
Ethyl chloroacetate 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.
Ethyl chloroacetate fire potential
FLAMMABLE LIQUID; A DANGEROUS FIRE HAZARD WHEN EXPOSED TO HEAT OR FLAME ...
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
10 · Handling and storage
Ethyl chloroacetate storage and handling
Ethyl chloroacetate safe storage
Fireproof. Separated from incompatible materials and food and feedstuffs. See Chemical Dangers. Dry.
Source: ILO-WHO International Chemical Safety Cards (ICSCs)
Ethyl chloroacetate incompatible materials
... CAN REACT VIGOROUSLY WITH OXIDIZING MATERIALS. WILL REACT WITH WATER OR STEAM TO PRODUCE TOXIC & CORROSIVE FUMES. VIGOROUS REACTION WITH SODIUM CYANIDE.
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Ethyl chloroacetate reactivity
ETHYL CHLOROACETATE is a chlorinated ester. Esters react with acids to liberate heat along with alcohols and acids. Strong oxidizing acids may cause a vigorous reaction that is sufficiently exothermic to ignite the reaction products. Heat is also generated by the interaction of esters with caustic solutions. Flammable hydrogen is generated by mixing esters with alkali metals and hydrides.
Source: CAMEO Chemicals
Planning storage for a mix of chemicals? Check Ethyl chloroacetate in the storage compatibility matrix →
11 · Transport
Ethyl chloroacetate 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.
Ethyl chloroacetate under UN 1181 — shipping name, class and packing group
Europe · ADR 2025, Table A
| Proper shipping name (3.1.2) | Class | Classification code | PG | Labels (column 5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ETHYL CHLOROACETATE | 6.1 | TF1 | II | |
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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ethyl chloroacetate | 6.1 | II | |
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
Ethyl chloroacetate — frequently asked questions
What is the CAS number of Ethyl chloroacetate?
The CAS number of Ethyl chloroacetate is 105-39-5. Its EC number is 203-294-0.
What is the chemical formula of Ethyl chloroacetate?
The molecular formula of Ethyl chloroacetate is C4H7ClO2 and its molecular weight is 122.55 g/mol.
What does a Ethyl chloroacetate label have to show?
Under CLP Annex VI the label for Ethyl chloroacetate carries the pictograms Skull and crossbones and Environment and the signal word is Danger.
Is Ethyl chloroacetate flammable?
CLP Annex VI assigns Ethyl chloroacetate 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 63.89 °C (147 °F) (HSDB).
Is Ethyl chloroacetate a carcinogen?
CLP Annex VI records no harmonised carcinogenicity classification for Ethyl chloroacetate. 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 Ethyl chloroacetate?
The boiling point reported for Ethyl chloroacetate is 142.78 °C (289 °F), at 760 mmHg (CAMEO).
What is the melting point of Ethyl chloroacetate?
The melting point reported for Ethyl chloroacetate is -26 °C (-14.8 °F) (HSDB).
Nearby
Substances next to Ethyl chloroacetate
Keep going: substances starting with E, or search the whole database by name, CAS number, pictogram or signal word.