CHEMICAL STORAGE GUIDELINES

The following hazard class hierarchy (based on the Department of Transportation) is provided as a guide for prioritizing which hazard classes pose the greatest risks.

Hazard Class / Storage Guidelines
Inhalation Hazards / Store in a ventilated cabinet or a fume hood with other compatible materials only.
Ex: Bromine, Phosgene
Unstable Explosives / Do not store in the lab. Stabilized materials such as Wetted Picric Acid should be stored appropriately (see MSDS or container label).
Ex: Dry Picric Acid, Mercury Fulminate, Trinitrobenzene
Pyrophoric
or Water-Reactive (“Reactives”) / Store together sealed against moisture or air, away from aqueous solutions, water and alcohols. Ex: Activated Zinc, Aluminum Powder/ Carbide/ Hydride, Iron Pentacarbonyl, Phosphorus (white), Sodium Borohydride
Flammable & Combustible Liquids, Solids, & Gases / CAUTION: Many Flammable Solids are also Reactives.
Store in flammable cabinet when not in use.
Ex: Acetone, Acetylene, Aerosols, Ethyl Acetate, Ethyl Alcohol, Napthalene, Para-formaldehyde,Toluene
Peroxide-Forming Materials / Peroxide-Forming Materials should be dated when opened and disposed of through EH&S within one year from date of opening, or by the manufacturer’s expiration date, whichever comes first. They can be stored in the flammable cabinet with other flammables & combustibles.
Ex: Dioxane, Ethers (e.g. Ethyl/ Methyl/ Isopropyl), Tetrahydrofuran
Corrosive / Inorganic Acids / Inorganic Acids should be stored in a designated corrosives cabinet. Ex: Perchloric, Sulfuric, & Nitric Acid should be stored each in its own secondary containment.
Hydrochloric Acid, Hydrofluoric Acid, Nitric Acid, Perchloric Acid, Phosphoric Acid, Sulfuric Acid
Corrosive / Organic Acids / Store in the corrosives cabinet segregated from oxidizing acids Ex: Perchloric, Sulfuric, Nitric) by secondary containment. Acetic Acid, Formic Acid, Propionic Acid
Corrosive /
Bases
(Liquids & Solids) / Store in a designated corrosives cabinet. Bases may be stored with the acids, however they must be separated from the acids by utilizing secondary containment.
Ex: Ammonium Hydroxide, Potassium Hydroxide, Sodium Hydroxide
Oxidizers / Store separate from all Flammable, Combustible and Organic Compounds.
Ex: Chlorates, Chlorites, Nitrates, Nitrites, Perchlorates, Permanganates
Organic Peroxides / Store away from flammables and combustibles. Ex: Benzoyl Peroxide
Highly Toxic / Toxic (Solids) / Can store in general chemical storage, segregated from incompatibles. Ideally they would be stored separately from other chemicals and easily identifiable within the lab.
Ex: Carcinogens, Reproductive Hazards, Teratogens
Highly Toxic / Toxic (Liquids) / The organic solvents and solutions (Formaldehyde, Chloroform), should be stored in a flammable cabinet. The inorganic solutions & compounds should be stored in general storage in secondary containment.
Ex: Chloroform, Cyanide, Formaldehyde, Other Inorganic Solutions & Compounds
Low Toxicity Materials / Irritants / Should be stored in general chemical storage.
Ex: Agars, Amino Acids, Sodium Chloride