Substance profile
Glycerol trinitrate
Glycerol trinitrate is a viscous liquid.
01 · Identification
What Glycerol trinitrate is
Glycerol trinitrate is a viscous liquid. It boils at 218 °C, melts at 2.8 °C.
Under the GHS it carries the signal word Danger. It is classed as corrosives.
02 · Identifiers
Glycerol trinitrate identifiers and molecular data
Glycerol trinitrate CAS number and EC number
Glycerol trinitrate molecular formula and molecular weight
Other names for Glycerol trinitrate
- nitroglycerine
03 · GHS classification
Glycerol trinitrate hazard classification
Harmonised classification under CLP Annex VI. This is the legally binding classification in the EU; other jurisdictions may differ.
Glycerol trinitrate pictograms and signal word
Glycerol trinitrate hazard class and category
| Hazard class | Category | From code | Pictogram |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explosives GHS chapter 2.1 | Category Unstable explosive | H200 | GHS01 |
| Acute toxicity - oral GHS chapter 3.1 | Category 1 or 2 | H300 | GHS06 |
| Acute toxicity - dermal GHS chapter 3.1 | Category 1 or 2 | H310 | GHS06 |
| Acute toxicity - inhalation GHS chapter 3.1 | Category 1 or 2 | H330 | GHS06 |
| Specific target organ toxicity - repeated exposure GHS chapter 3.9 | Category 2 | H373 | GHS08 |
| Hazardous to the aquatic environment - chronic GHS chapter 4.1 | Category 2 | H411 | GHS09 |
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.
Glycerol trinitrate hazard statements (H-codes)
| Code | Hazard statement |
|---|---|
| H200 | Unstable explosives. |
| H310 | Fatal in contact with skin. |
| H330 | Fatal if inhaled. |
| H300 | Fatal if swallowed. |
| H373 | May cause damage to organs <or state all organs affected, if known> through prolonged or repeated exposure <state route of exposure if it is conclusively proven that no other routes of exposure cause the hazard>. |
| H411 | Toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects. |
This page lists only the codes assigned to Glycerol trinitrate. 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 Glycerol trinitrate
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 Glycerol trinitrate 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
Glycerol trinitrate precautionary statements
CLP Annex VI assigns 15 precautionary statements to Glycerol trinitrate. 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
Glycerol trinitrate 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 | глицеролтринитрат нитроглицерин |
| Spanish español | Trinitrato de glicerol nitroglicerina |
| Czech čeština | glycerol-trinitrát nitroglycerin |
| Danish dansk | glyceroltrinitrat nitroglycerin |
| German Deutsch | Glycerintrinitrat Nitroglycerin |
| Estonian eesti | glütserooltrinitraat nitroglütseriin |
| Greek ελληνικά | τρινιτρική γλυκερόλη νιτρογλυκερίνη |
| English English | glycerol trinitrate nitroglycerine |
| French français | trinitrate de glycérol nitroglycérine |
| Croatian hrvatski | glicerol-trinitrat nitroglicerin |
| Italian italiano | nitroglicerina glicerina trinitrato |
| Latvian latviešu | glicerīna trinitrāts nitroglicerīns |
| Lithuanian lietuvių | glicerolio trinitratas nitroglicerinas |
| Hungarian magyar | glicerin-trinitrát nitroglicerin |
| Maltese Malti | trinitrat tal-gliċerol nitrogliċerina |
| Dutch Nederlands | glyceroltrinitraat nitroglycerine |
| Polish polski | triazotan(V) glicerolu nitrogliceryna |
| Portuguese português | trinitrato de glicerol nitroglicerina |
| Romanian română | trinitrat de glicerol nitroglicerină |
| Slovak slovenčina | propán-1,2,3-triyl-trinitrát nitroglycerín |
| Slovenian slovenščina | glicerol trinitrat nitroglicerin |
| Finnish suomi | glyserolitrinitraatti nitroglyseriini |
| Swedish svenska | glyceroltrinitrat nitroglycerin |
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
Glycerol trinitrate GHS label elements
Everything CLP Annex VI fixes for Glycerol trinitrate, laid out the way it appears on a label. The greyed lines are the parts only the supplier can fill in.
Danger
Glycerol trinitrate
- Unstable explosives.
- Fatal in contact with skin.
- Fatal if inhaled.
- Fatal if swallowed.
- May cause damage to organs <or state all organs affected, if known> through prolonged or repeated exposure <state route of exposure if it is conclusively proven that no other routes of exposure cause the hazard>.
- Toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects.
- Keep away from heat, hot surfaces, sparks, open flames and other ignition sources. No smoking.
- 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/…
- Get medical advice/attention if you feel unwell.
- 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 Glycerol trinitrate in the GHS label constructor →
07 · Health hazards
Glycerol trinitrate health hazards and exposure limits
Glycerol trinitrate hazard summary
Allergic contact dermatitis reported in workers manufacturing explosives and pharmaceuticals; [Kanerva, p. 1820] Listed by ACGIH in a table of agents that may cause methemoglobinemia in the nonoccupational setting;
Source: Haz-Map, Information on Hazardous Chemicals and Occupational Diseases
Glycerol trinitrate occupational exposure limits
| Limit | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| PEL | 0.2 ppm (2 mg/m³) | Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) |
| PEL | C 0.2 ppm (2 mg/m3) [skin] See Appendix G | The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) |
| REL | 0.1 mg/m³ | Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) |
| REL | ST 0.1 mg/m3 [skin] | The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) |
| IDLH | 75 mg/m3 [From NPG: Nitroglycerine] (NIOSH, 2024) | CAMEO Chemicals |
| IDLH | 75 mg/m3 (NIOSH, 2024) | CAMEO Chemicals |
| IDLH | 8.0 [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
Glycerol trinitrate 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.
Glycerol trinitrate boiling point
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boiling point | 218 °C (424.4 °F) | HSDB | |
| 55 °C (131 °F) | range, midpoint shown | NIOSH |
Glycerol trinitrate melting point
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melting point | 2.8 °C (37 °F) | HSDB | |
| 13.33 °C (56 °F) | NIOSH |
Glycerol trinitrate density
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Density | 1.6 g/cm³ | NIOSH | |
| 1.5918 g/cm³ | at 25 °C | HSDB |
Glycerol trinitrate solubility
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solubility | Sparingly sol in petroleum ether, liq petrolatum, glycerol. | HSDB | |
| One gram dissolves in 4 grams ethanol, 18 g methanol, 120 g carbon disulfide. | HSDB | ||
| Miscible with glacial acetic acid, nitrobenzene, pyridine, ethylene bromide, dichloroethylene, ethyl acetate. | HSDB |
Glycerol trinitrate vapor pressure
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vapor pressure | 0.0003 mmHg | NIOSH | |
| 0.0002 mmHg | at 20 °C | HSDB |
Glycerol trinitrate flash point
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flash point | 270 °C (518 °F) | CAMEO | |
| Explodes | NIOSH | ||
| Explodes (NIOSH, 2024) | CAMEO |
Glycerol trinitrate autoignition temperature
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autoignition temperature | 270 °C (518 °F) | HSDB |
Glycerol trinitrate lower explosive limit (LEL)
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower explosive limit (LEL) | Severe explosion risk, highly sensitive to heat and shock. | HSDB | |
| ...Explosion point 256 °C | HSDB |
Glycerol trinitrate vapor density
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vapor density | 7.8 (air = 1) | HSDB |
Values compiled from PubChem Laboratory Chemical Safety Summary. Temperatures converted to Fahrenheit for reference.
09 · Fire and explosion
Glycerol trinitrate 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.
Fire and explosion
Undiluted nitroglycerin should be handled cautiously since it is a powerful explosive that can be exploded by percussion or excessive heat. Nitroglycerin is diluted with lactose, dextrose, alcohol, proplyene glycol, or another inert excipient to permit safe handling.
Source: HSDB
10 · Handling and storage
Glycerol trinitrate storage and handling
Glycerol trinitrate safe storage
Store only if stabilized. Store in an area without drain or sewer access. Fireproof. Well closed. Separated from food and feedstuffs.
Source: ILO-WHO International Chemical Safety Cards (ICSCs)
Glycerol trinitrate storage conditions
Nitroglycerin injections are practically colorless and stable in their intact containers. The solutions are not explosive. Storage should be at room temperature; the containers should be protected from freezing. Exposure to light, even high intensity light, does not adversely affect nitroglycerin stability. /nitroglycerin injections/
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Glycerol trinitrate incompatible materials
Heat, ozone, shock acids.
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Glycerol trinitrate reactivity
GLYCERYL TRINITRATE SOLUTION is incompatible with the following: Heat, ozone, shock, acids. Note: An OSHA Class A Explosive (1910.109). (NIOSH, 2024). It may react vigorously with reducing agents, including hydrides, sulfides and nitrides. Incompatible with ozone, acids.
Source: CAMEO Chemicals
Planning storage for a mix of chemicals? Check Glycerol trinitrate in the storage compatibility matrix →
11 · Questions
Glycerol trinitrate — frequently asked questions
What is the CAS number of Glycerol trinitrate?
The CAS number of Glycerol trinitrate is 55-63-0. Its EC number is 200-240-8.
What does a Glycerol trinitrate label have to show?
Under CLP Annex VI the label for Glycerol trinitrate carries the pictograms Exploding bomb, Skull and crossbones, Health hazard and Environment and the signal word is Danger.
Is Glycerol trinitrate flammable?
CLP Annex VI assigns Glycerol trinitrate 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 270 °C (518 °F) (CAMEO).
Is Glycerol trinitrate a carcinogen?
CLP Annex VI records no harmonised carcinogenicity classification for Glycerol trinitrate. 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 exposure limit for Glycerol trinitrate?
The US occupational exposure limit reported for Glycerol trinitrate is 0.2 ppm (2 mg/m³) (Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)). Limits differ by country: the EU sets its own indicative and binding values, and the figure that applies at a given workplace is the one in the local regulation.
What is the boiling point of Glycerol trinitrate?
The boiling point reported for Glycerol trinitrate is 218 °C (424.4 °F) (HSDB).
What is the melting point of Glycerol trinitrate?
The melting point reported for Glycerol trinitrate is 2.8 °C (37 °F) (HSDB).
How should Glycerol trinitrate be stored?
Nitroglycerin injections are practically colorless and stable in their intact containers. The solutions are not explosive. Storage should be at room temperature; the containers should be protected from freezing. Exposure to light, even high intensity light, does not adversely affect nitroglycerin stability. /nitroglycerin injections/ (Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB))
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