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Chemical Name: 1,4-Butanediol
Synonyms: BDO, Butane-1,4-diol
CAS Number: 110-63-4
Use: Commonly acts as an intermediate in chemical manufacturing, often found in making plastics, solvents, and elastic fibers. Some workers know it for its role in custom polymer syntheses and as a useful solvent in specialty applications.
Appearance: Colorless liquid with a faint, sweetish odor that reminds some of acetone or glycol.
Boiling Point: Roughly 230°C
Main Hazards: In high concentrations, vapors can irritate the eyes and upper respiratory tracts. Absorption through the skin or accidental ingestion brings risks of drowsiness, headaches, and at higher doses, more serious central nervous system depression. Combustible in contact with flame. People should never underestimate the potential for skin and eye contact to cause redness or prolonged irritation.
Signal Word: Warning
Routes of Exposure: Skin, eyes, inhalation, ingestion. Mishandling increases the chance for accidental exposure.
Main Ingredient: 1,4-Butanediol, concentration up to 100% in undiluted commercial products. Most batches do not contain any significant stabilizers or additives that change hazard profiles, so users deal mainly with the base chemical.
Eye Contact: Flush with plenty of water for at least fifteen minutes. If someone wears contacts, it helps to remove them and keep rinsing. Discomfort signals the need for a checkup.
Skin Contact: Remove contaminated clothing, wash the skin with soap and water. Lingering redness or pain deserves a visit to the clinic.
Inhalation: Get fresh air quickly. Shortness of breath or coughing means a person might need a healthcare worker. High vapor concentrations make quick action important.
Ingestion: Drinking water to dilute, unless advised otherwise by a medical professional. Drowsiness or confusion after ingestion calls for emergency help.
Suitable Extinguishing Media: Water spray, foam, dry chemical, or CO₂ can work. Directing water jets at the liquid risks splashing and spreading. Always check what's actually burning.
Hazardous Combustion Products: Incomplete burning releases carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. Vigilance is crucial, as toxic smoke can fill poorly ventilated spaces.
Protective Gear: Firefighters wear self-contained breathing equipment. The average person stays clear and never tries to fight big fires alone.
Personal Precautions: Wear gloves, goggles, and a lab coat. Spills stay contained with sand or inert absorbent. Opening windows and boosting airflow make sense.
Environmental Precautions: Keep spills away from drains and soil, as the substance dissolves in water and doesn’t bond to dirt very well, making it possible for it to reach septic tanks and groundwater.
Cleanup Methods: Scooping up liquid, then mopping with plenty of water. Bigger releases often mean calling in professional help.
Handling: Store away from direct sources of ignition. Using splash-resistant goggles and chemical-resistant gloves feels inconvenient but keeps chemical burns at bay. Glass or high-density polyethylene containers work best.
Storage: Containers need tight seals and placement in a well-ventilated, cool spot. Storing BDO with oxidizers or acids increases the chance for unwanted reactions. Segregation of incompatible chemicals remains standard safety sense.
Engineering Controls: Local exhaust ventilation controls most vapor, especially when handling sizable quantities. Air monitoring might help when workers handle BDO in bulk, though most small labs rely on windows and fume hoods.
Personal Protective Equipment: Gloves made of nitrile or neoprene, chemical splash goggles, and protective aprons. For bigger spills, a full face shield and respirator provide better coverage. Hand washing after use should become habit, not afterthought.
Appearance: Clear, oily liquid
Odor: Faintly sweet, can smell like acetone
Melting Point: Around 20°C
Boiling Point: Around 230°C
Flash Point: Around 121°C (open cup)
Solubility: Miscible with water
Density: About 1.017 g/cm³ at room temperature
Vapor Pressure: Quite low under ordinary conditions
Chemical Stability: BDO stays stable at room temperature, but heating or mixing with oxidizers (like bleach or nitric acid) sparks dangerous reactions. Strong acids can force rapid breakdown into toxic gases.
Conditions to Avoid: Open flames, strong oxidizing agents, acid catalysts.
Incompatible Materials: Alkali metals, acids, oxidizing agents.
Hazardous Decomposition: Burning or degrading can liberate carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and irritating or toxic vapors.
Acute Effects: Swallowing BDO may lower alertness or put someone to sleep, as it converts in the body into GHB. High doses threaten breathing and heart rhythms. Inhaling high concentrations has left people dizzy, nauseous, or lightheaded. Contact with skin or eyes leads to quick irritation.
Chronic Effects: Extended or repeated skin exposure can dry or crack the skin. Repeated high exposures to BDO can impair neurological function.
Sensitization: Not known to trigger allergies in most people.
Carcinogenicity: No clear link to cancer found.
Reproductive Effects: No evidence so far of any risk, but caution gets the final word with unstudied exposures.
Environmental Fate: The chemical dissolves easily in water, moves into streams and stormwater if not contained, and doesn’t stick much to soil. In water, microbes gradually break it down, but high loads can deplete oxygen, threatening aquatic life.
Aquatic Toxicity: Low to moderate risk for fish and invertebrates, but harmful at high concentrations.
Recommended Methods: Incineration in a designated chemical facility. Small amounts sometimes get diluted, but authorities expect full waste treatment to avoid accidental spills or ground contamination.
Precautions: Pouring into drains risks polluting water sources. Only approved disposal sites keep BDO out of the wider environment.
UN Number: Not classified as a hazardous material under many transport regulations, though some local rules may vary.
Packing Guidelines: Leak-proof, sturdy containers. Labeling follows national or international rules for chemicals. If moving large volumes, paperwork demand grows and sometimes brings extra inspection.
Workplace Regulation: Most safety agencies such as OSHA and their local counterparts recommend limits for air levels and call for basic worker protection. BDO remains legal and accessible in industry, but its known conversion into GHB means some countries restrict or monitor its trade.
Labelling: Caution and hazard symbols appear on containers, listing risks of central nervous system effects, eye damage, and environmental persistence.
Restrictions: Not listed as a known carcinogen or highly restricted, but possession or use for synthesis outside legitimate industry prompts law enforcement interest, especially given its potential misuse.
Recordkeeping: Strong expectations exist around inventory control and incident reporting, especially in labs and warehouses where multiple people handle BDO.
