Substance profile
Musk Xylene
Musk Xylene is plates, needles from alcohol with a strong musk odor.
01 · Identification
What Musk Xylene is
Musk Xylene is plates, needles from alcohol with a strong musk odor. Its molecular formula is C12H15N3O6 and its molecular weight is 297.26 g/mol. It melts at 112 °C.
Under the GHS it carries the signal word Warning. It is classed as flammable agents - 3rd degree.
02 · Identifiers
Musk Xylene identifiers and molecular data
Musk Xylene CAS number and EC number
Musk Xylene molecular formula and molecular weight
Other names for Musk Xylene
- 5-tert-butyl-2,4,6-trinitro-m-xylene
03 · GHS classification
Musk Xylene hazard classification
Harmonised classification under CLP Annex VI. This is the legally binding classification in the EU; other jurisdictions may differ.
Musk Xylene pictograms and signal word
Musk Xylene hazard class and category
| Hazard class | Category | From code | Pictogram |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explosives GHS chapter 2.1 | Category 1.1 | H201 | GHS01 |
| Carcinogenicity GHS chapter 3.6 | Category 2 | H351 | GHS08 |
| Hazardous to the aquatic environment - acute GHS chapter 4.1 | Category 1 | H400 | GHS09 |
| Hazardous to the aquatic environment - chronic GHS chapter 4.1 | Category 1 | H410 | GHS09 |
Musk Xylene hazard statements (H-codes)
| Code | Hazard statement |
|---|---|
| H201 | Explosive; mass explosion hazard. |
| H351 | Suspected of causing cancer <state route of exposure if it is conclusively proven that no other routes of exposure cause the hazard>. |
| H400 | Very toxic to aquatic life. |
| H410 | Very toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects. |
This page lists only the codes assigned to Musk Xylene. 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 Musk Xylene
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 Musk Xylene 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
Musk Xylene precautionary statements
CLP Annex VI assigns 8 precautionary statements to Musk Xylene. 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
Musk Xylene 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 | мускус-ксилен 5- трет -бутил-2,4,6-тринитро- m -ксилен |
| Spanish español | Xileno de almizcle 5- terc -butil-2,4,6-trinitro- m -xileno |
| Czech čeština | mošusový xylen xylenové pižmo5- terc -butyl-1,3-dimethyl-2,4,6-trinitrobenzen |
| Danish dansk | moskusxylen 5- tert -butyl-2,4,6-trinitro- m -xyleno |
| German Deutsch | Moschusxylol 5- tert -Butyl-2,4,6-trinitro- m - xylol |
| Estonian eesti | muskusksüleen 5- tert -butüül-2,4,6-trinitro- m -ksüleen |
| Greek ελληνικά | ξυλολικός μόσχος 5- tert -βουτυλο-2,4,6-τρινιτρο- m -ξυλόλιο |
| English English | musk xylene 5- tert -butyl-2,4,6-trinitro- m -xylene |
| French français | musc xylène 5- tert -butyl-2,4,6-trinitro- m -xylène |
| Croatian hrvatski | mošusni ksilen 5- tert -butil-2,4,6-trinitro- m -ksilen |
| Italian italiano | muschio xilene 5- terz -butil-2,4,6-trinitro- m -xilene |
| Latvian latviešu | muskusksilols 5- terc -butil-2,4,6-trinitro- m -ksilols |
| Lithuanian lietuvių | muskuso ksilenas 5- tret -butil-2,4,6-trinitro- m -ksilenas |
| Hungarian magyar | pézsma xilol 5- terc -butil-2,4,6-trinitro- m -xilol |
| Maltese Malti | ksilen tal-misk 5- tert -butil-2,4,6-trinitro- m -ksilen |
| Dutch Nederlands | muskusxyleen 5- tert -butyl-2,4,6-trinitro- m -xyleen |
| Polish polski | piżmo ksylenowe 5- tert -butylo-2,4,6-trinitro- m -ksylen |
| Portuguese português | almíscar-xileno ( musk xylene ) 5- terc -butil-2,4,6-trinitro- m -xileno |
| Romanian română | mosc-xilen 5- terț -butil-2,4,6-trinitro- m -xilen |
| Slovak slovenčina | xylén pyžmový 1- terc -butyl-3,5-dimetyl-2,4,6-trinitrobenzén |
| Slovenian slovenščina | mošusov ksilen 5- terc -butil-2,4,6-trinitro- m -ksilen |
| Finnish suomi | myskiksyleeni 5- tert -butyyli-2,4,6-trinitro- m -ksyleeni |
| Swedish svenska | myskxylen 5- tert -butyl-2,4,6-trinitro- m -xylen |
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
Musk Xylene GHS label elements
Everything CLP Annex VI fixes for Musk Xylene, laid out the way it appears on a label. The greyed lines are the parts only the supplier can fill in.
Warning
Musk Xylene
- Explosive; mass explosion hazard.
- Suspected of causing cancer <state route of exposure if it is conclusively proven that no other routes of exposure cause the hazard>.
- Very toxic to aquatic life.
- Very toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects.
- Obtain special instructions before use.
- Keep away from heat, hot surfaces, sparks, open flames and other ignition sources. No smoking.
- Avoid release to the environment.
- Wear protective gloves/protective clothing/eye protection/face protection/hearing protection/…
- IF exposed or concerned:
- Get medical advice/attention.
- Collect spillage.
- Dispose of contents/container to …
Supplier name, address and telephone number· Product identifier·Nominal quantity
Need this as an actual label? Open Musk Xylene in the GHS label constructor →
07 · Health hazards
Musk Xylene health hazards and exposure limits
Musk Xylene carcinogenicity classification
Evaluation: There is inadequate evidence in humans for the carcinogenicity of musk xylene. There is limited evidence in experimental animals for the carcinogenicity of musk xylene. Musk xylene is not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans (Group 3).
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
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
Musk Xylene 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.
Musk Xylene melting point
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melting point | 111.5 °C (232.7 °F) | HSDB |
Musk Xylene density
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Density | 0.77 g/cm³ | HSDB |
Musk Xylene solubility
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solubility | In water, 0.15 mg/L at 22 °C | at 22 °C | HSDB |
| Slightly soluble in ethanol; soluble in ethyl ether, chloroform | HSDB | ||
| In water, 0.49 mg/L at 25 °C | at 25 °C | HSDB |
Musk Xylene vapor pressure
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vapor pressure | 2.25e-7 mmHg | at 25 °C | HSDB |
Values compiled from PubChem Laboratory Chemical Safety Summary. Temperatures converted to Fahrenheit for reference.
09 · Fire and explosion
Musk Xylene 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.
Musk Xylene fire potential
A flammable solid.
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
10 · Handling and storage
Musk Xylene storage and handling
Musk Xylene reactivity
Self-decomposition or self-ignition may be triggered by heat, chemical reaction, friction or impact.
Source: CAMEO Chemicals
Planning storage for a mix of chemicals? Check Musk Xylene in the storage compatibility matrix →
11 · Transport
Musk Xylene 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.
Musk Xylene under UN 2956 — shipping name, class and packing group
Europe · ADR 2025, Table A
| Proper shipping name (3.1.2) | Class | Classification code | PG | Labels (column 5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5-tert-BUTYL-2,4,6-TRINITRO-m- XYLENE (MUSK XYLENE) | 4.1 | SR1 | III | |
Source: ADR 2025, Table A of Chapter 3.2 · ECE/TRANS/352 Vol. I (UNECE). Class 4.1 is “Flammable solids, self-reactive substances, polymerizing substances and solid desensitized explosives” (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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5-tert-Butyl-2,4,6-trinitro-m-xylene or Musk xylene | 4.1 | III | |
Source: 49 CFR 172.101 Hazardous Materials Table · eCFR, revision 2026-08-03. Class 4.1 is “Flammable solid” (49 CFR 173.2).
12 · Questions
Musk Xylene — frequently asked questions
What is the CAS number of Musk Xylene?
The CAS number of Musk Xylene is 81-15-2. Its EC number is 201-329-4.
What is the chemical formula of Musk Xylene?
The molecular formula of Musk Xylene is C12H15N3O6 and its molecular weight is 297.26 g/mol.
What does a Musk Xylene label have to show?
Under CLP Annex VI the label for Musk Xylene carries the pictograms Exploding bomb, Health hazard and Environment and the signal word is Warning.
Is Musk Xylene flammable?
CLP Annex VI assigns Musk Xylene 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 Musk Xylene a carcinogen?
CLP Annex VI assigns Musk Xylene H351 — suspected of causing cancer. That is category 2: the evidence points that way but is not conclusive. IARC places it in Group 3: not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans.
What is the melting point of Musk Xylene?
The melting point reported for Musk Xylene is 111.5 °C (232.7 °F) (HSDB).
Nearby
Substances next to Musk Xylene
Keep going: substances starting with M, or search the whole database by name, CAS number, pictogram or signal word.