Substance profile
Magnesium phosphide
Magnesium phosphide is yellow cubic crystals.
01 · Identification
What Magnesium phosphide is
Magnesium phosphide is yellow cubic crystals. It melts at 750 °C.
Under the GHS it carries the signal word Danger. It is classed as flammable agents - 3rd degree.
02 · Identifiers
Magnesium phosphide identifiers and molecular data
Magnesium phosphide CAS number and EC number
Magnesium phosphide molecular formula and molecular weight
Other names for Magnesium phosphide
- trimagnesium diphosphide
03 · GHS classification
Magnesium phosphide hazard classification
Harmonised classification under CLP Annex VI. This is the legally binding classification in the EU; other jurisdictions may differ.
Magnesium phosphide pictograms and signal word
Magnesium phosphide hazard class and category
| Hazard class | Category | From code | Pictogram |
|---|---|---|---|
| In contact with water emits flammable gases GHS chapter 2.12 | Category 1 | H260 | GHS02 |
| Acute toxicity - oral GHS chapter 3.1 | Category 1 or 2 | H300 | GHS06 |
| Acute toxicity - dermal GHS chapter 3.1 | Category 3 | H311 | GHS06 |
| Acute toxicity - inhalation GHS chapter 3.1 | Category 1 or 2 | H330 | GHS06 |
| Hazardous to the aquatic environment - acute GHS chapter 4.1 | Category 1 | H400 | 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.
Magnesium phosphide hazard statements (H-codes)
| Code | Hazard statement |
|---|---|
| H260 | In contact with water releases flammable gases which may ignite spontaneously. |
| H330 | Fatal if inhaled. |
| H300 | Fatal if swallowed. |
| H311 | Toxic in contact with skin. |
| H400 | Very toxic to aquatic life. |
Magnesium phosphide supplemental EU statements (EUH)
| Code | Statement |
|---|---|
| EUH029 | Contact with water liberates toxic gas. |
| EUH032 | Contact with acids liberates very toxic gas. |
This page lists only the codes assigned to Magnesium phosphide. 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 Magnesium phosphide
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 Magnesium phosphide 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
Magnesium phosphide precautionary statements
CLP Annex VI assigns 13 precautionary statements to Magnesium phosphide. 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
Magnesium phosphide 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 | магнезиев фосфид тримагнезиев дифосфид |
| Spanish español | Fosfuro de magnesio difosfuro de trimagnesio |
| Czech čeština | fosfid hořečnatý trimagnesium-difosfid |
| Danish dansk | magnesiumphosphid trimagnesiumdiphosphid |
| German Deutsch | Magnesiumphosphid Trimagnesiumdiphosphid |
| Estonian eesti | magneesiumfosfiid trimagneesiumdifosfiid |
| Greek ελληνικά | φωσφορούχο μαγνήσιο διφωσφίδιο του τριμαγνήσιου |
| English English | magnesium phosphide trimagnesium diphosphide |
| French français | phosphure de magnésium diphosphure de trimagnésium |
| Croatian hrvatski | magnezijev fosfid trimagnezijev difosfid |
| Italian italiano | fosfuro di magnesio difosfuro di trimagnesio |
| Latvian latviešu | magnija fosfīds trimagnija difosfīds |
| Lithuanian lietuvių | magnio fosfidas trimagnio difosfidas |
| Hungarian magyar | magnézium-foszfid trimagnézium-difoszfid |
| Maltese Malti | fosfur tal-manjeżju difosfur tal-manjeżju |
| Dutch Nederlands | magnesiumfosfide trimagnesiumdifosfide |
| Polish polski | fosforek magnezu(II) difosforek trimagnezu |
| Portuguese português | fosforeto de magnésio difosforeto de trimagnésio |
| Romanian română | fosfură de magneziu difosfură de trimagneziu |
| Slovak slovenčina | fosfid horečnatý difosfid trihorečnatý |
| Slovenian slovenščina | magnezijev fosfid trimagnezijev difosfid |
| Finnish suomi | magnesiumfosfidi trimagnesiumdifosfidi |
| Swedish svenska | magnesiumfosfid trimagnesiumdifosfid |
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
Magnesium phosphide GHS label elements
Everything CLP Annex VI fixes for Magnesium phosphide, laid out the way it appears on a label. The greyed lines are the parts only the supplier can fill in.
Danger
Magnesium phosphide
- In contact with water releases flammable gases which may ignite spontaneously.
- Fatal if inhaled.
- Fatal if swallowed.
- Toxic in contact with skin.
- Very toxic to aquatic life.
- Contact with water liberates toxic gas.
- Contact with acids liberates very toxic gas.
- 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 Magnesium phosphide in the GHS label constructor →
07 · Physical and chemical properties
Magnesium phosphide 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.
Magnesium phosphide melting point
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melting point | 750 °C (1382 °F) | above this value | ICSC |
Magnesium phosphide density
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Density | 2.06 g/cm³ | HSDB | |
| 2.1 g/cm³ | ICSC |
Magnesium phosphide solubility
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solubility | Reacts with water | HSDB | |
| In water, 0.01 g/L | HSDB | ||
| Solubility in water: reaction | ICSC |
Magnesium phosphide lower explosive limit (LEL)
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower explosive limit (LEL) | ... When released too quickly in a confined area, fire and/or explosions may occur. | HSDB |
Values compiled from PubChem Laboratory Chemical Safety Summary. Temperatures converted to Fahrenheit for reference.
08 · Fire and explosion
Magnesium phosphide 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.
Magnesium phosphide fire potential
... Reacts violently with water and may ignite upon contact with air.
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
09 · Handling and storage
Magnesium phosphide storage and handling
Magnesium phosphide safe storage
Fireproof. Provision to contain effluent from fire extinguishing. Store in sealed, polyethylene-lined drums. Separated from food and feedstuffs. See Chemical Dangers. Dry. Well closed.
Source: ILO-WHO International Chemical Safety Cards (ICSCs)
Magnesium phosphide incompatible materials
Ignites when heated in chlorine, bromine, or iodine.
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Magnesium phosphide reactivity
MAGNESIUM PHOSPHIDE is a strong reducing agent. Nitric acid oxidizes MAGNESIUM PHOSPHIDE with incandescence [Mellor 8:842. 1946-47]. It ignites on heating with chlorine, bromine, or iodine vapors, [Mellor, 1940, Vol. 8, 842]. It reacts vigorously with most oxidants.
Source: CAMEO Chemicals
Planning storage for a mix of chemicals? Check Magnesium phosphide in the storage compatibility matrix →
10 · Transport
Magnesium phosphide 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.
Magnesium phosphide under UN 2011 — shipping name, class and packing group
Europe · ADR 2025, Table A
| Proper shipping name (3.1.2) | Class | Classification code | PG | Labels (column 5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MAGNESIUM PHOSPHIDE | 4.3 | WT2 | I | |
Source: ADR 2025, Table A of Chapter 3.2 · ECE/TRANS/352 Vol. I (UNECE). Class 4.3 is “Substances which, in contact with water, emit flammable gases” (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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Magnesium phosphide | 4.3 | I | |
Source: 49 CFR 172.101 Hazardous Materials Table · eCFR, revision 2026-08-03. Class 4.3 is “Dangerous when wet material” (49 CFR 173.2).
11 · Questions
Magnesium phosphide — frequently asked questions
What is the CAS number of Magnesium phosphide?
The CAS number of Magnesium phosphide is 12057-74-8. Its EC number is 235-023-7.
What does a Magnesium phosphide label have to show?
Under CLP Annex VI the label for Magnesium phosphide carries the pictograms Flame, Skull and crossbones and Environment and the signal word is Danger.
Is Magnesium phosphide flammable?
Yes. CLP Annex VI assigns Magnesium phosphide H260 — in contact with water releases flammable gases which may ignite spontaneously.
Is Magnesium phosphide a carcinogen?
CLP Annex VI records no harmonised carcinogenicity classification for Magnesium phosphide. 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 melting point of Magnesium phosphide?
The melting point reported for Magnesium phosphide is 750 °C (1382 °F), above this value (ICSC).
Nearby
Substances next to Magnesium phosphide
Keep going: substances starting with M, or search the whole database by name, CAS number, pictogram or signal word.