Substance profile
Isobutyl nitrite
Isobutyl nitrite is a colorless liquid.
01 · Identification
What Isobutyl nitrite is
Isobutyl nitrite is a colorless liquid. Its molecular formula is C4H9NO2 and its molecular weight is 103.12 g/mol. It boils at 67 °C.
Under the GHS it carries the signal word Danger. It is classed as flammable agents - 3rd degree.
02 · Identifiers
Isobutyl nitrite identifiers and molecular data
Isobutyl nitrite CAS number and EC number
Isobutyl nitrite molecular formula and molecular weight
03 · GHS classification
Isobutyl nitrite hazard classification
Harmonised classification under CLP Annex VI. This is the legally binding classification in the EU; other jurisdictions may differ.
Isobutyl nitrite pictograms and signal word
Isobutyl nitrite hazard class and category
| Hazard class | Category | From code | Pictogram |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flammable liquids GHS chapter 2.6 | Category 2 | H225 | GHS02 |
| Acute toxicity - oral GHS chapter 3.1 | Category 4 | H302 | GHS07 |
| Acute toxicity - inhalation GHS chapter 3.1 | Category 4 | H332 | GHS07 |
| Germ cell mutagenicity GHS chapter 3.5 | Category 2 | H341 | GHS08 |
| Carcinogenicity GHS chapter 3.6 | Category 1A or 1B | H350 | 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.
Isobutyl nitrite hazard statements (H-codes)
| Code | Hazard statement |
|---|---|
| H225 | Highly flammable liquid and vapour. |
| H350 | May cause cancer <state route of exposure if it is conclusively proven that no other routes of exposure cause the hazard>. |
| H341 | Suspected of causing genetic defects <state route of exposure if it is conclusively proven that no other routes of exposure cause the hazard>. |
| H332 | Harmful if inhaled. |
| H302 | Harmful if swallowed. |
This page lists only the codes assigned to Isobutyl nitrite. 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 Isobutyl nitrite
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 Isobutyl nitrite 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
Isobutyl nitrite precautionary statements
CLP Annex VI assigns 16 precautionary statements to Isobutyl nitrite. 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
Isobutyl nitrite 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 | изобутилов нитрит |
| Spanish español | Nitrito de isobutilo |
| Czech čeština | isobutyl-nitrit |
| Danish dansk | isobutylnitrit |
| German Deutsch | Isobutylnitrit 2-Methyl-propylnitrit-1 |
| Estonian eesti | isobutüülnitrit |
| Greek ελληνικά | νιτρώδης ισοβουτυλεστέρας |
| English English | isobutyl nitrite |
| French français | nitrite d'isobutyle |
| Croatian hrvatski | izobutil-nitrit |
| Italian italiano | nitrito di isobutile |
| Latvian latviešu | izobutilnitrīts |
| Lithuanian lietuvių | izobutilnitritas |
| Hungarian magyar | izobutilnitrit |
| Maltese Malti | nitrit tal-isobutil |
| Dutch Nederlands | isobutylnitriet |
| Polish polski | azotan(III) izobutylu azotyn izobutylu |
| Portuguese português | nitrito de isobutilo |
| Romanian română | azotit de izobutil |
| Slovak slovenčina | izobutyl-nitrit |
| Slovenian slovenščina | izobutil nitrit |
| Finnish suomi | isobutyylinitriitti |
| Swedish svenska | isobutylnitrit |
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
Isobutyl nitrite GHS label elements
Everything CLP Annex VI fixes for Isobutyl nitrite, laid out the way it appears on a label. The greyed lines are the parts only the supplier can fill in.
Danger
Isobutyl nitrite
- Highly flammable liquid and vapour.
- May cause cancer <state route of exposure if it is conclusively proven that no other routes of exposure cause the hazard>.
- Suspected of causing genetic defects <state route of exposure if it is conclusively proven that no other routes of exposure cause the hazard>.
- Harmful if inhaled.
- Harmful if swallowed.
- Obtain special instructions before use.
- Keep away from heat, hot surfaces, sparks, open flames and other ignition sources. No smoking.
- Keep container tightly closed.
- Use explosion-proof [electrical/ventilating/lighting/…] equipment.
- Use only non-sparking tools.
- 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.
- Wear protective gloves/protective clothing/eye protection/face protection/hearing protection/…
- IF SWALLOWED:
- IF INHALED:
- IF exposed or concerned:
- Call a POISON CENTER/doctor/… if you feel unwell.
- Get medical advice/attention.
- Rinse mouth.
- Store in a well-ventilated place.
Supplier name, address and telephone number· Product identifier·Nominal quantity
Need this as an actual label? Open Isobutyl nitrite in the GHS label constructor →
07 · Health hazards
Isobutyl nitrite health hazards and exposure limits
Isobutyl nitrite hazard summary
High doses cause death from methemoglobinemia in acute and subchronic animal studies. Delayed animal deaths were attributeed to hepatotoxicity; [ACGIH] Liver damage as a cause of death was suggested in one animal study. [HSDB] A volatile substance that may be abused by inhalation mainly for its vasodilator properties; [Reference #1]
Source: Haz-Map, Information on Hazardous Chemicals and Occupational Diseases
Isobutyl nitrite carcinogenicity classification
Under the conditions of these 2-year inhalation studies, there was clear evidence of carcinogenic activity of isobutyl nitrite in male and female F344/N rats based on the increased incidences of alveolar/bronchiolar adenoma and alveolar/bronchiolar adenoma or carcinoma (combined). There was some evidence of carcinogenic activity of isobutyl nitrite in male and female B6C3F1 mice based on the increased incidences of alveolar/bronchiolar adenoma and alveolar/bronchiolar adenoma or carcinoma (combined) in males and females. The increased incidence of thyroid gland follicular cell adenoma in male mice may have been related to isobutyl nitrite exposure.
Source: US National Toxicology Program · TR-448: Toxicology and Carcinogenesis Studies of Isobutyl Nitrite (CASRN 542-56-3) in F344/N Rats and B6C3F1 Mice (Inhalation Studies) (1996 )
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
Isobutyl nitrite 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.
Isobutyl nitrite boiling point
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boiling point | 67 °C (152.6 °F) | HSDB | |
| 67.22 °C (153 °F) | at 760 mmHg | CAMEO |
Isobutyl nitrite density
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Density | 0.87 g/cm³ | at 22 °C | HSDB |
| 0.87 g/cm³ | ICSC | ||
| 0.87 g/cm³ | at 22.22 °C | CAMEO |
Isobutyl nitrite solubility
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solubility | Solubility in water: very poor | ICSC | |
| less than 1 mg/mL at 66 °F (NTP, 1992) | at 18.89 °C | CAMEO | |
| SLIGHTLY SOLUBLE AND GRADUALLY DECOMPOSED BY WATER; MISCIBLE WITH ALCOHOL | decomposes | HSDB |
Isobutyl nitrite vapor pressure
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vapor pressure | 10 mmHg | OSHA | |
| 10 mmHg | at 20 °C | CAMEO | |
| 9.7508 mmHg | at 20 °C | ICSC |
Isobutyl nitrite flash point
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flash point | -23.33 °C (-10 °F) | CAMEO | |
| -21 °C (-5.8 °F) | ICSC |
Isobutyl nitrite lower explosive limit (LEL)
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower explosive limit (LEL) | 1.2 % by volume | ICSC | |
| 1.2 % by volume | at 21.11 °C | CAMEO |
Isobutyl nitrite upper explosive limit (UEL)
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper explosive limit (UEL) | 26.9 % by volume | ICSC | |
| 26.9 % by volume | at 21.11 °C | CAMEO |
Isobutyl nitrite vapor density
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vapor density | 1 (air = 1) | CAMEO | |
| 3.56 (air = 1) | ICSC |
Values compiled from PubChem Laboratory Chemical Safety Summary. Temperatures converted to Fahrenheit for reference.
09 · Handling and storage
Isobutyl nitrite storage and handling
Isobutyl nitrite safe storage
Fireproof. Separated from acids. Well closed.
Source: ILO-WHO International Chemical Safety Cards (ICSCs)
Isobutyl nitrite reactivity
An oxidizing agent but can serve as a reducing agent. May begin a vigorous reaction that culminates in a detonation if mixed with reducing agents, including hydrides, sulfides, nitrides, ammonium salts, cyanides, and many fuels.
Source: CAMEO Chemicals
Planning storage for a mix of chemicals? Check Isobutyl nitrite in the storage compatibility matrix →
10 · Questions
Isobutyl nitrite — frequently asked questions
What is the CAS number of Isobutyl nitrite?
The CAS number of Isobutyl nitrite is 542-56-3. Its EC number is 208-819-7.
What is the chemical formula of Isobutyl nitrite?
The molecular formula of Isobutyl nitrite is C4H9NO2 and its molecular weight is 103.12 g/mol.
What does a Isobutyl nitrite label have to show?
Under CLP Annex VI the label for Isobutyl nitrite carries the pictograms Flame, Health hazard and Exclamation mark and the signal word is Danger.
Is Isobutyl nitrite flammable?
Yes. CLP Annex VI assigns Isobutyl nitrite H225 — highly flammable liquid and vapour. The flash point reported for it is -23.33 °C (-10 °F) (CAMEO).
Is Isobutyl nitrite a carcinogen?
Yes. CLP Annex VI classifies Isobutyl nitrite as a category 1A or 1B carcinogen and assigns it H350: may cause cancer. IARC places it in Group 2B: possibly carcinogenic to humans.
What is the boiling point of Isobutyl nitrite?
The boiling point reported for Isobutyl nitrite is 67 °C (152.6 °F) (HSDB).
How should Isobutyl nitrite be stored?
CLP Annex VI assigns Isobutyl nitrite the storage statement P403.
Nearby
Substances next to Isobutyl nitrite
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