Substance profile
Physostigmine
Physostigmine is orthorhombic sphenoidal prisms or clusters of leaflets from ether or benzene and is odorless.
01 · Identification
What Physostigmine is
Physostigmine is orthorhombic sphenoidal prisms or clusters of leaflets from ether or benzene and is odorless. Its molecular formula is C15H21N3O2 and its molecular weight is 275.35 g/mol. It melts at 140 °C.
Under the GHS it carries the signal word Danger.
02 · Identifiers
Physostigmine identifiers and molecular data
Physostigmine CAS number and EC number
Physostigmine molecular formula and molecular weight
03 · GHS classification
Physostigmine hazard classification
Harmonised classification under CLP Annex VI. This is the legally binding classification in the EU; other jurisdictions may differ.
Physostigmine pictograms and signal word
Physostigmine hazard class and category
| Hazard class | Category | From code | Pictogram |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acute toxicity - oral GHS chapter 3.1 | Category 1 or 2 | H300 | GHS06 |
| Acute toxicity - inhalation GHS chapter 3.1 | Category 1 or 2 | H330 | GHS06 |
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.
Physostigmine hazard statements (H-codes)
| Code | Hazard statement |
|---|---|
| H330 | Fatal if inhaled. |
| H300 | Fatal if swallowed. |
This page lists only the codes assigned to Physostigmine. 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 Physostigmine
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 Physostigmine 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
Physostigmine precautionary statements
CLP Annex VI assigns 7 precautionary statements to Physostigmine. 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
Physostigmine 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 | физостигмин |
| Spanish español | Fisostigmina |
| Czech čeština | fysostigmin |
| Danish dansk | physostigmin |
| German Deutsch | Physostigmin Eserin1,3a,8-Trimethyl-5-methylcarbamoyloxy-1,2,3,3a,8a-hexahydropixiolo[2,3-b]indol |
| Estonian eesti | füsostigmiin |
| Greek ελληνικά | φυσοστιγμίνη |
| English English | physostigmine |
| French français | physostigmine |
| Croatian hrvatski | fizostigmin |
| Italian italiano | eserina |
| Latvian latviešu | fizostigmīns |
| Lithuanian lietuvių | fizostigminas |
| Hungarian magyar | fizosztigmin |
| Maltese Malti | fisostigmina |
| Dutch Nederlands | physostigmine |
| Polish polski | fizostygmina |
| Portuguese português | fisostigmina |
| Romanian română | fizostigmină |
| Slovak slovenčina | fyzostigmín (1,3a,8-trimetyl-2,3,3a,8a-tetrahydro-1 H ,8 H -pyrolo[2,3- b ]indol-5-yl)- N -metylkarbamát |
| Slovenian slovenščina | fizostigmin |
| Finnish suomi | fysostigmiini |
| Swedish svenska | fysostigmin |
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
Physostigmine GHS label elements
Everything CLP Annex VI fixes for Physostigmine, laid out the way it appears on a label. The greyed lines are the parts only the supplier can fill in.
Danger
Physostigmine
- Fatal if inhaled.
- Fatal if swallowed.
- 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.
- IF SWALLOWED:
- IF INHALED:
- Immediately call a POISON CENTER/doctor/…
- Rinse mouth.
Supplier name, address and telephone number· Product identifier·Nominal quantity
Need this as an actual label? Open Physostigmine in the GHS label constructor →
07 · Physical and chemical properties
Physostigmine 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.
Physostigmine melting point
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melting point | 140 °C (284 °F) | HSDB | |
| 105.5 °C (221.9 °F) | range, midpoint shown | HSDB | |
| 186 °C (366.8 °F) | range, midpoint shown | HSDB |
Physostigmine solubility
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solubility | SLIGHTLY SOL IN WATER; SOL IN ALC, BENZENE, CHLOROFORM, OILS | HSDB | |
| VERY SOL IN DICHLOROMETHANE | HSDB | ||
| Sol in ether | HSDB |
Physostigmine vapor pressure
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vapor pressure | 0.00001 mmHg | at 25 °C | DOE PAC |
Values compiled from PubChem Laboratory Chemical Safety Summary. Temperatures converted to Fahrenheit for reference.
08 · Fire and explosion
Physostigmine 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.
Physostigmine fire potential
Fire Hazard: Slight
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
09 · Handling and storage
Physostigmine storage and handling
Physostigmine storage conditions
SOLNS SHOULD BE KEPT WELL CLOSED IN LIGHT-RESISTANT, ALKALI-FREE GLASS CONTAINER& USED WITHIN A WK. /PHYSOSTIGMINE SALICYLATE/
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Physostigmine incompatible materials
Benzalkonium chloride is incompatible with physostigmine salicylate but is compatible with physostigmine sulfate.
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Planning storage for a mix of chemicals? Check Physostigmine in the storage compatibility matrix →
10 · Questions
Physostigmine — frequently asked questions
What is the CAS number of Physostigmine?
The CAS number of Physostigmine is 57-47-6. Its EC number is 200-332-8.
What is the chemical formula of Physostigmine?
The molecular formula of Physostigmine is C15H21N3O2 and its molecular weight is 275.35 g/mol.
What does a Physostigmine label have to show?
Under CLP Annex VI the label for Physostigmine carries the pictogram Skull and crossbones and the signal word is Danger.
Is Physostigmine flammable?
CLP Annex VI assigns Physostigmine 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 Physostigmine a carcinogen?
CLP Annex VI records no harmonised carcinogenicity classification for Physostigmine. 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 Physostigmine?
The melting point reported for Physostigmine is 140 °C (284 °F) (HSDB).
How should Physostigmine be stored?
SOLNS SHOULD BE KEPT WELL CLOSED IN LIGHT-RESISTANT, ALKALI-FREE GLASS CONTAINER& USED WITHIN A WK. /PHYSOSTIGMINE SALICYLATE/ (Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB))
Nearby
Substances next to Physostigmine
Keep going: substances starting with P, or search the whole database by name, CAS number, pictogram or signal word.