Chemical Education Today
CLIP, Chemical Laboratory Information Profile “Only when you know the hazards, can you take the necessary precautionary measures.”
Hydrazine Hydrate
(24% solution) Synonyms: hydrazine monohydrate, hydrazine solution
H2N-NH2∙H2O
Physical Properties
A colorless to yellow solution Vapor pressure at 20 °C: Melting point: Boiling point:
with an ammonia-like odor. 16 Torr −14 °C 102 °C
CAS No.: 7803-57-8 Exposure Limits
These limits apply to the hydrazine in solution. OSHA PEL: 1 ppm ACGIH TLV: 0.01 ppm
Hazardous Characteristics
Overall toxicity 3
Flamma- bility 2
Destructive to skin/eye 3
Absorbed through skin? Yes
Sensi- tizer? No
Self- reactive? Yes
Incompatible with: All oxidizing agents, acids, aluminum, zinc, other metals, combustible materials*
0: None (or very low); 1: Slight; 2: Moderate; 3: High; 4: Severe. *Reactivity Hazards
When contaminated with hydrazine or its aqueous solution, combustible materials often spontaneously burst into flame. Hydrazine solution can ignite spontaneously when in contact with porous materials or with oxidizing agents. Hydrazine alone and in solution is incompatible with a wide variety of other reagents. Before using or handling, users are advised to read, understand, and follow the precautions described and/or implied in Bretherick’s Handbook of Reactive Chemical Hazards.
Cited as known to be or reasonably anticipated to be carcinogenic in NTP-11? Yes
Identified as a reproductive toxin in Frazier and Hage, Reproductive Hazards of the Workplace? Yes (lab animals)
Typical symptoms of acute exposures:
In the eyes, pain, blurred vision, blindness. On the skin, pain, skin burns. If inhaled, sore throat, labored breathing, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, lung edema. If ingested, abdominal pain, vomiting, dizziness, diarrhea. Principal target organ(s) or system(s):
Eyes, skin, respiratory tract, central nervous system, liver, kidneys.
Storage Requirements Store separate from all other chemicals in a cool, dry, locked, general storage location that has ventilation at floor level.
Additional Remarks At ordinary temperatures, the vapor pressure of hydrazine in 24% aqueous solution is approximately 5000 ppm and therefore greatly exceeds the limits established by OSHA and ACGIH. Accordingly, users will be likely to be over-exposed to the vapors of this compound unless appropriate precautions are rigidly maintained; see the MSDS for details. Symptoms of lung edema are not manifest immediately in victims who have inhaled hydrazine vapors or solution mist; some hours may elapse first; physical effort can exaggerate these symptoms. Rest is essential for persons exposed to excess vapor or solution mist.
Notes ReadMe
This Chemical Laboratory Information Profile is not a Material Safety Data Sheet. It is a brief summary for teachers and their students that describes some of the hazards of this chemical as it is typically used in laboratories. On the basis of your knowledge of these hazards and before using or handling this chemical, you need to select the precautions and first-aid procedures to be followed. For that information as well as for other useful information, refer to Material Safety Data Sheets, container labels, and references in the scientific literature that pertain to this chemical. Reproductive toxins
Some substances that in fact are reproductive toxins are not yet recognized as such. For the best readily available and up-to-date information, refer to “DART/ETIC”. See the TOXNET home page at http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/. Note that some of the data in DART/ETIC have not been peer-reviewed. See also Frazier, Linda M.; Hage, Marvin L. Reproductive Hazards of the Workplace; Wiley: New York, 1998; and Shepard, T. H. Catalog of Teratogenic Agents, 9th ed.; Johns Hopkins University Press: Baltimore, MD, 1998. Abbreviations
ACGIH TLV—American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists–Threshold Limit Value. C—Ceiling. CAS—Chemical Abstracts Service. mg/m3—milligrams per cubic meter. NA—Not applicable. NE—Not established. NI—No information. NTP‑11—National Toxicology Program, Eleventh Annual Report on Carcinogens. OSHA PEL—Occupational Safety and Health Administration– Permissible Exposure Limit. ppm—parts per million. STEL/C—Short-term exposure limit and ceiling. Prepared by: Jay A. Young
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Date of preparation: July 3, 2009
Journal of Chemical Education • Vol. 86 No. 9 September 2009 • www.JCE.DivCHED.org • © Division of Chemical Education
