Is it reactive?

Key Points

  • Many chemicals are reactiveReadily reacts with other chemicals. by nature, even when unmixed with other chemicals. Some react with air or water, or are heat- or shock-sensitive. Some are peroxidizableCan slowly react with oxygen in the air or with oxidizers (oxidizing agents) to form potentially explosive, white crystalline peroxides., polymerizableCan react with itself. Polymerization reactions typically generate heat and could cause container to overpressurize, which can lead to a fire or explosion., or radioactiveSpontaneously and continuously emitting ions or ionizing radiation. Radioactivity isn't a chemical property, but an additional hazard apart from other properties of a material..
  • To find out about a particular substance's reactive hazards, look up its datasheet in CAMEO 365betÓéÀÖ.

Reactive Hazard Information in CAMEO 365betÓéÀÖ

Follow the steps below to find out about a substance's reactive hazards:

  1. Search for the chemical.
  2. In the Search Results pages, find the chemical datasheet, and click View Datasheet.
  3. Look in the Chemical Identifiers section of the datasheet. First, review the General Description for reactivityThe tendency of a substance to undergo chemical change. The reactivity of most substances depends on the temperature and pressure of the surroundings, and on the chemicals with which it comes in contact. Under ordinary conditions, innately reactive substances are those that react rapidly with water, air, and other common components of the environment, as well as substances that self-react (decompose or polymerize). information. Next, check the NFPA 704 information to see the NFPANational Fire Protection Association (www.nfpa.org), a private, non-profit organization that produces technical data related to fire protection and prevention, including the widely used NFPA diamond that contains codes representing chemical hazards. instability (reactivity) and special ratings on the NFPA diamond for the chemical. A special rating of "W" or "No water" means the substance is unusually water-reactiveCan react vigorously when mixed with water or steam or when spilled into water; the reaction may generate hazardous gas or overpressurize a container.. Then review the DOT Hazard Label information (and the example placard/label images shown at the top of the datasheet); some labels (such as Dangerous When Wet and Spontaneously Combustible) may provide information about the chemical's reactive hazards.

    The NFPA 704 information for sulfuric acid shows that violent chemical change is possible, and that this chemical is especially reactive with water. The General Description provides more details.
  4. Scroll down to the Hazards section. For more specific details about the chemical's reactive hazards, review (a) Reactivity Alerts, (b) Air & Water Reactions, and (c) Reactivity Profile. See example Hazards sectionSee example Hazards section

    The hazards section of the sulfuric acid chemical datasheet.

Note: The chemical datasheet typically has the greatest amount of data on the reactive hazards of the chemical. However, you may also want to review the chemical's UN/NA datasheet (if applicable). The UN/NA datasheet may include ERG response guides, ERG toxicPoisonous; can injure or kill people or other organisms.-by-inhalationA route of chemical exposure in which a toxic material is brought into the bloodstream as particles or volatile compounds breathed into the lungs and nasal passages. gas information, and ERG polymerizable hazard notes.

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