Substance profile
Phosphorus tribromide
Phosphorus tribromide is a fuming colorless liquid with a penetrating odor.
01 · Identification
What Phosphorus tribromide is
Phosphorus tribromide is a fuming colorless liquid with a penetrating odor. Its molecular formula is Br3P and its molecular weight is 270.69 g/mol. It boils at 173 °C, melts at -41.5 °C.
Under the GHS it carries the signal word Danger. It is classed as corrosives.
02 · Identifiers
Phosphorus tribromide identifiers and molecular data
Phosphorus tribromide CAS number and EC number
Phosphorus tribromide molecular formula and molecular weight
03 · GHS classification
Phosphorus tribromide hazard classification
Harmonised classification under CLP Annex VI. This is the legally binding classification in the EU; other jurisdictions may differ.
Phosphorus tribromide pictograms and signal word
Phosphorus tribromide hazard class and category
| Hazard class | Category | From code | Pictogram |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skin corrosion/irritation GHS chapter 3.2 | Category 1A or 1B or 1C | H314 | GHS05 |
| Specific target organ toxicity - single exposure GHS chapter 3.8 | Category 3 | H335 | GHS07 |
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.
Phosphorus tribromide hazard statements (H-codes)
| Code | Hazard statement |
|---|---|
| H335 | May cause respiratory irritation. |
| H314 | Causes severe skin burns and eye damage. |
Phosphorus tribromide supplemental EU statements (EUH)
| Code | Statement |
|---|---|
| EUH014 | Reacts violently with water. |
This page lists only the codes assigned to Phosphorus tribromide. 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 Phosphorus tribromide
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 Phosphorus tribromide 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
Phosphorus tribromide precautionary statements
CLP Annex VI assigns 5 precautionary statements to Phosphorus tribromide. 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
Phosphorus tribromide 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 | фосфорен трибромид |
| Spanish español | Tribromuro de fósforo |
| Czech čeština | bromid fosforitý |
| Danish dansk | phosphortribromid |
| German Deutsch | Phosphortribromid |
| Estonian eesti | fosfortribromiid |
| Greek ελληνικά | τριβρωμιούχος φωσφόρος |
| English English | phosphorus tribromide |
| French français | tribromure de phosphore |
| Croatian hrvatski | fosforov tribromid |
| Italian italiano | fosforo tribromuro |
| Latvian latviešu | fosfora tribromīds |
| Lithuanian lietuvių | fosforo tribromidas |
| Hungarian magyar | foszfor-tribromid |
| Maltese Malti | tribromur tal-fosforu |
| Dutch Nederlands | fosfortribromide |
| Polish polski | tribromek fosforu |
| Portuguese português | tribrometo de fósforo |
| Romanian română | tribromură de fosfor |
| Slovak slovenčina | bromid fosforitý |
| Slovenian slovenščina | fosforjev tribromid |
| Finnish suomi | fosforitribromidi |
| Swedish svenska | fosfortribromid |
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
Phosphorus tribromide GHS label elements
Everything CLP Annex VI fixes for Phosphorus tribromide, laid out the way it appears on a label. The greyed lines are the parts only the supplier can fill in.
Danger
Phosphorus tribromide
- May cause respiratory irritation.
- Causes severe skin burns and eye damage.
- Reacts violently with water.
- Do not breathe dust/fume/gas/mist/vapours/spray.
- Wear protective gloves/protective clothing/eye protection/face protection/hearing protection/…
- IF SWALLOWED:
- Immediately call a POISON CENTER/doctor/…
- Do NOT induce vomiting.
Supplier name, address and telephone number· Product identifier·Nominal quantity
Need this as an actual label? Open Phosphorus tribromide in the GHS label constructor →
07 · Health hazards
Phosphorus tribromide health hazards and exposure limits
Phosphorus tribromide hazard summary
Corrosive to skin; [Quick CPC] Inhalation can cause severe irritation of lungs; [CAMEO] Reacts with moisture in the air forming phosphonic acid and hydrogen bromide gas; Causes severe burns; Inhalation may cause chemical pneumonitis and pulmonary edema; [HSDB] Reacts violently with water producing white fumes of hydrogen bromide; Causes burns; Inhalation causes severe irritation of nose, throat, and lungs; [CHRIS] Causes somnolence, muscle weakness, and dyspnea in oral lethal-dose studies of rats; [RTECS]
Source: Haz-Map, Information on Hazardous Chemicals and Occupational Diseases
08 · Physical and chemical properties
Phosphorus tribromide 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.
Phosphorus tribromide boiling point
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boiling point | 173.2 °C (343.8 °F) | HSDB | |
| 172.78 °C (343 °F) | at 760 mmHg | CAMEO |
Phosphorus tribromide melting point
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melting point | -41.5 °C (-42.7 °F) | HSDB | |
| -41.61 °C (-42.9 °F) | CAMEO |
Phosphorus tribromide density
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Density | 2.852 g/cm³ | at 15 °C | HSDB |
| 2.862 g/cm³ | at 30 °C | CAMEO |
Phosphorus tribromide solubility
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solubility | Reacts with water, ethanol; soluble in acetone, carbon disulfide | HSDB | |
| Soluble in acetone, alcohol, carbon disulfide, hydrogen sulfide, water (decomposes) | decomposes | HSDB |
Phosphorus tribromide vapor pressure
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vapor pressure | 10 mmHg | at 47.8 °C | HSDB |
Phosphorus tribromide corrosivity
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corrosivity | IN PRESENCE OF MOISTURE, HIGHLY CORROSIVE TO MOST METALS EXCEPT LEAD & NICKEL | HSDB |
Values compiled from PubChem Laboratory Chemical Safety Summary. Temperatures converted to Fahrenheit for reference.
09 · Fire and explosion
Phosphorus tribromide 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.
Phosphorus tribromide fire potential
Not combustible, but if involved in a fire decomposes to produce hydrogen bromide, phosphoric acid, phosphine.
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
10 · Handling and storage
Phosphorus tribromide storage and handling
Phosphorus tribromide storage conditions
Store in a cool, dry, well-ventilated location. Separate from acids, alkalies, organics, alkali metals.
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Phosphorus tribromide incompatible materials
Will react with water, steam or acids to produce heat, toxic and corrosive fumes.
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Phosphorus tribromide reactivity
PHOSPHORUS TRIBROMIDE reacts with oxidizing agents to generate heat and products that may be flammable, combustible, or otherwise reactive; the reactions may be violent. Forms complexes with potassium or sodium metal that explode when shocked. Dropwise addition to 3-phenylpropanol caused an explosion when stirring of the mixture was discontinued [Chem. Brit., 1974, 10, 101-102].
Source: CAMEO Chemicals
Planning storage for a mix of chemicals? Check Phosphorus tribromide in the storage compatibility matrix →
11 · Transport
Phosphorus tribromide 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.
Phosphorus tribromide under UN 1808 — shipping name, class and packing group
Europe · ADR 2025, Table A
| Proper shipping name (3.1.2) | Class | Classification code | PG | Labels (column 5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHOSPHORUS TRIBROMIDE | 8 | C1 | II | |
Source: ADR 2025, Table A of Chapter 3.2 · ECE/TRANS/352 Vol. I (UNECE). Class 8 is “Corrosive 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phosphorus tribromide | 8 | II | |
Source: 49 CFR 172.101 Hazardous Materials Table · eCFR, revision 2026-08-03. Class 8 is “Corrosive material” (49 CFR 173.2).
12 · Questions
Phosphorus tribromide — frequently asked questions
What is the CAS number of Phosphorus tribromide?
The CAS number of Phosphorus tribromide is 7789-60-8. Its EC number is 232-178-2.
What is the chemical formula of Phosphorus tribromide?
The molecular formula of Phosphorus tribromide is Br3P and its molecular weight is 270.69 g/mol.
What does a Phosphorus tribromide label have to show?
Under CLP Annex VI the label for Phosphorus tribromide carries the pictograms Corrosion and Exclamation mark and the signal word is Danger.
Is Phosphorus tribromide flammable?
CLP Annex VI assigns Phosphorus tribromide 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 Phosphorus tribromide a carcinogen?
CLP Annex VI records no harmonised carcinogenicity classification for Phosphorus tribromide. 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 Phosphorus tribromide?
The boiling point reported for Phosphorus tribromide is 173.2 °C (343.8 °F) (HSDB).
What is the melting point of Phosphorus tribromide?
The melting point reported for Phosphorus tribromide is -41.5 °C (-42.7 °F) (HSDB).
How should Phosphorus tribromide be stored?
Store in a cool, dry, well-ventilated location. Separate from acids, alkalies, organics, alkali metals. (Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB))
Nearby
Substances next to Phosphorus tribromide
Keep going: substances starting with P, or search the whole database by name, CAS number, pictogram or signal word.