Provenance

Reference data from EU CLP Annex VI and published regulations — verify against your supplier's SDS before use.

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Substance profile

Sodium Selenite

Sodium Selenite is tetragonal prisms.

CAS 10102-18-8 Danger

01 · Identification

What Sodium Selenite is

Sodium Selenite is tetragonal prisms. It melts at 710 °C, is practically insoluble in water.

Under the GHS it carries the signal word Danger.

02 · Identifiers

Sodium Selenite identifiers and molecular data

Sodium Selenite CAS number and EC number

CAS number10102-18-8
EC number233-267-9
Index number (CLP Annex VI)034-003-00-3

03 · GHS classification

Sodium Selenite hazard classification

Harmonised classification under CLP Annex VI. This is the legally binding classification in the EU; other jurisdictions may differ.

Sodium Selenite pictograms and signal word

Signal wordDanger

Sodium Selenite hazard class and category

GHS hazard classes Sodium Selenite falls into
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 3 H331 GHS06
Skin sensitisation GHS chapter 3.4 Category 1 or 1A or 1B H317 GHS07
Hazardous to the aquatic environment - chronic GHS chapter 4.1 Category 2 H411 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.

Sodium Selenite hazard statements (H-codes)

Hazard statements assigned to Sodium Selenite
CodeHazard statement
H300 Fatal if swallowed.
H331 Toxic if inhaled.
H317 May cause an allergic skin reaction.
H411 Toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects.

Sodium Selenite supplemental EU statements (EUH)

EU-specific statements assigned to Sodium Selenite. They exist only in CLP and have no counterpart in UN GHS.
CodeStatement
EUH031 Contact with acids liberates toxic gas.

This page lists only the codes assigned to Sodium Selenite. 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 Sodium Selenite

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 Sodium Selenite 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

Sodium Selenite precautionary statements

CLP Annex VI assigns 15 precautionary statements to Sodium Selenite. 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.

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

Sodium Selenite 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 натриев селенит
Spanish español Selenito de sodio
Czech čeština seleničitan sodný
Danish dansk natriumselenit
German Deutsch Natriumselenit
Estonian eesti naatriumselenit
Greek ελληνικά σεληνιώδες νάτριο
English English sodium selenite
French français sélénite de sodium
Croatian hrvatski natrijev selenit
Italian italiano sodio selenuro
Latvian latviešu nātrija selenīts
Lithuanian lietuvių natrio selenitas
Hungarian magyar nátrium-szelenit
Maltese Malti selenit tas-sodju
Dutch Nederlands natriumseleniet
Polish polski selenin sodu
Portuguese português selenito de sódio
Romanian română selenit de sodiu
Slovak slovenčina seleničitan sodný
Slovenian slovenščina natrijev selenit
Finnish suomi natriumseleniitti
Swedish svenska natriumselenit

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

Sodium Selenite GHS label elements

Everything CLP Annex VI fixes for Sodium Selenite, laid out the way it appears on a label. The greyed lines are the parts only the supplier can fill in.

GHS06 Skull and crossbones pictogramGHS09 Environment pictogram

Danger

Sodium Selenite

  • Fatal if swallowed.
  • Toxic if inhaled.
  • May cause an allergic skin reaction.
  • Toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects.
  • Contact with acids liberates toxic gas.
  • Do not breathe dust/fume/gas/mist/vapours/spray.
  • Avoid breathing 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.
  • Contaminated work clothing should not be allowed out of the workplace.
  • Avoid release to the environment.
  • Wear protective gloves/protective clothing/eye protection/face protection/hearing protection/
  • IF SWALLOWED:
  • IF INHALED:
  • Immediately call a POISON CENTER/doctor/
  • Get medical advice/attention.
  • Rinse mouth.
  • If skin irritation or rash occurs:
  • Collect spillage.
  • Dispose of contents/container to

Supplier name, address and telephone number· Product identifier·Nominal quantity

Need this as an actual label? Open Sodium Selenite in the GHS label constructor →

07 · Health hazards

Sodium Selenite health hazards and exposure limits

Sodium Selenite hazard summary

Reported to be a skin sensitizer, but insufficient controls were tested; [Kanerva, p. 1499] Decomposed by flames and hot surfaces producing toxic gases; A skin, eye, and respiratory tract irritant; The substance may cause effects on the liver, heart, nervous system, and gastrointestinal tract. The substance may have effects on the central nervous system, bone, and blood. [ICSC] Nontoxic when fed to hamsters at 10 ppm for 42 days; Histological changes in liver at 20 ppm (0.7 mg selenium/kg body weight/day); [HSDB] May cause skin, eye, and mucous membrane irritation; [CAMEO] An eye and mild skin irritant; May cause skin sensitization; [eChemPortal: ESIS] May cause irritation; May cause skin sensitization; [MSDSonline] Sodium selenite is orders of magnitude more toxic than many other selenium compounds. [NIOSH IDLH Documentation] See Selenium.

Source: Haz-Map, Information on Hazardous Chemicals and Occupational Diseases

Sodium Selenite occupational exposure limits

US occupational exposure limits reported for Sodium Selenite. PEL is enforceable (OSHA), REL is a recommendation (NIOSH), IDLH is the concentration at which escape becomes impossible without injury.
Limit Value Source
PEL 0.2 [mg/m3], as Se Haz-Map, Information on Hazardous Chemicals and Occupational Diseases
IDLH 1.0 [mg/m3], as Se Haz-Map, Information on Hazardous Chemicals and Occupational Diseases

These are United States values. The European Union sets its own indicative and binding limits, and the figure that applies at a given workplace is the one in the local regulation — not the one shown here.

08 · Physical and chemical properties

Sodium Selenite 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.

Sodium Selenite boiling point

Property Value Conditions Source
Boiling point Decomposes (NTP, 1992) decomposes CAMEO

Sodium Selenite melting point

Property Value Conditions Source
Melting point 710 °C (1310 °F) DOE PAC
710 °C (1310 °F) decomposes, decomposes HSDB
710 °C (1310 °F) decomposes CAMEO

Sodium Selenite density

Property Value Conditions Source
Density 3.1 g/cm³ HSDB

Sodium Selenite solubility

Property Value Conditions Source
Solubility Insoluble in alcohol HSDB
89.8 g/100 g water HSDB
greater than or equal to 100 mg/mL at 70.7 °F (NTP, 1992) at 21.5 °C CAMEO

Sodium Selenite vapor pressure

Property Value Conditions Source
Vapor pressure 0.001 mmHg below this value, at 20 °C CAMEO

Values compiled from PubChem Laboratory Chemical Safety Summary. Temperatures converted to Fahrenheit for reference.

09 · Handling and storage

Sodium Selenite storage and handling

Sodium Selenite safe storage

Separated from strong acids and food and feedstuffs. Well closed. Store in an area without drain or sewer access.

Source: ILO-WHO International Chemical Safety Cards (ICSCs)

Sodium Selenite incompatible materials

Do not use metal and acid to reduce selenium compounds. This will produce toxic gaseous hydrogen selenide. /Selenium compounds/

Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)

Sodium Selenite reactivity

SODIUM SELENITE is incompatible with strong acids. (NTP, 1992)

Source: CAMEO Chemicals

Planning storage for a mix of chemicals? Check Sodium Selenite in the storage compatibility matrix →

10 · Questions

Sodium Selenite — frequently asked questions

What is the CAS number of Sodium Selenite?

The CAS number of Sodium Selenite is 10102-18-8. Its EC number is 233-267-9.

What does a Sodium Selenite label have to show?

Under CLP Annex VI the label for Sodium Selenite carries the pictograms Skull and crossbones and Environment and the signal word is Danger.

Is Sodium Selenite flammable?

CLP Annex VI assigns Sodium Selenite 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 Sodium Selenite a carcinogen?

CLP Annex VI records no harmonised carcinogenicity classification for Sodium Selenite. 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 exposure limit for Sodium Selenite?

The US occupational exposure limit reported for Sodium Selenite is 0.2 [mg/m3], as Se (Haz-Map, Information on Hazardous Chemicals and Occupational Diseases). Limits differ by country: the EU sets its own indicative and binding values, and the figure that applies at a given workplace is the one in the local regulation.

What is the boiling point of Sodium Selenite?

The boiling point reported for Sodium Selenite is Decomposes (NTP, 1992), decomposes (CAMEO).

What is the melting point of Sodium Selenite?

The melting point reported for Sodium Selenite is 710 °C (1310 °F) (DOE PAC).

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