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Name: 2-Methylbutane
Common Synonyms: Isopentane
CAS Number: 78-78-4
Chemical Formula: C5H12
Odor: Gasoline-like
Physical State: Colorless liquid, volatile, easily changes to vapor at room temperature
Flammability: Easily ignites, forms mixtures with air that explode with just a spark
Acute Health Risks: Breathing in vapors irritates eyes, nose, throat; dizziness and headaches show up at low concentrations, risk of unconsciousness at higher levels
Chronic Risks: Repeated exposure makes skin dry and cracked; breathing troubles possible in those with asthma or similar problems
Environmental Hazards: Vapors travel along floors, find their way to ignition sources far away
Main Ingredient: 2-Methylbutane — C5H12 — around 99%
Other Components: Trace hydrocarbons (less than 1%), often not specified except upon special request
Inhalation: Move into fresh air at once; call for help if breathing struggles show up, oxygen may help if supplied by trained hands
Skin Contact: Take off soaked clothing; rinse skin with lots of water and soap, avoid scrubbing hard as the skin dries out fast
Eye Contact: Rinse gently with clean water for several minutes, lift eyelids every so often, get medical care if redness or pain stays
Swallowing: Rinse mouth, avoid vomiting; hospital treatment mostly needed, as risk of chemical pneumonia gets real if it goes down the wrong pipe
Suitable Extinguishing Agents: Dry chemical powder, carbon dioxide, foam; avoid water spray as liquid spreads along surfaces
Special Hazards: Burning vapor forms invisible flashbacks; dense, toxic fumes show up if combustion is partial, including carbon monoxide and small hydrocarbons
Protective Gear: Full turnout gear and breathing protection suit the situation; cooling exposed drums or tanks with water spray prevents explosion, always keep distance
Personal Protection: Evacuate unnecessary people, ventilate the area, use anti-static tools and non-sparking shoes
Spill Control: Stop leaks if safe, absorb spills with sand or earth (never with sawdust, as it raises static risk)
Environmental Caution: Keep material out of drains, waterways, or soil as evaporation quickly pollutes both air and water
Storage: Keep tightly closed, far from heat, sparks, flames, and ungrounded equipment; metal containers need grounding and bonding
Handling: Work under good ventilation or inside fume hoods, avoid sources of ignition including pilot lights and static discharge
Transfer Advice: Use grounding straps, pump slowly, never use plastic buckets for storage or transfer
Respiratory Protection: Use an air-purifying respirator if vapor levels go above government recommendations, or else an air-supplied mask in higher concentrations
Eye Protection: Wear safety goggles or face shield as splashes sting fast
Skin Protection: Use gloves made of nitrile, neoprene, or similar; heavy-duty aprons or lab coats add another layer of safety
Engineering Controls: Local exhaust fans help pull out fumes close to work areas, especially important for cramped labs or shops
Occupational Limits: Common limit in many workplaces—600 ppm (1800 mg/m³) over an eight-hour shift—aims to keep health risks in check
Appearance: Clear, colorless liquid
Odor Threshold: Detected by most noses between 3.4 and 20 ppm
Boiling Point: Around 28°C (82°F)
Melting Point: -160°C (-256°F)
Flash Point: -51°C (-60°F)
Vapor Pressure: Roughly 440 mmHg at room temperature, so it evaporates fast
Solubility: Not soluble in water; mixes well with many organic solvents
Density: 0.62 g/cm³
Vapor Density: About 2.5 times heavier than air, so vapors settle low to the ground
Chemical Stability: Stable under regular conditions if kept cool and away from sunlight
Reactive Materials: Strong oxidizers such as chlorine, nitrates, or even concentrated oxygen can react violently
Hazardous Products: Burning or heating makes carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and other toxic fumes
Other Risks: Polymerization isn’t a worry, unlike with some unsaturated hydrocarbons
Inhalation Effects: Dizziness, lack of coordination, headaches show up with a short puff; nausea and confusion at higher doses
Skin Effects: Loss of natural oils, red, irritated, or dried-out skin; burns show up with longer contacts
Eye Contact: Intense stinging, watering, redness
Chronic Exposure: Habitual breathing causes long-term damage to the central nervous system; liver or kidney effects can’t be ruled out, though proof in humans stays limited
Carcinogenicity: Not listed by major agencies as an established cancer risk; that said, studies haven’t ruled it out, so long-term exposure at work warrants caution
Aquatic Harm: Toxic to aquatic creatures—evaporates quickly, but as a surface spill or leak into water, causes both short and long-term harm
Soil Impact: Spills seep through soil, reach underground water, and pollute wells or streams before fully evaporating
Food Chain Entry: High vapor pressure means most escapes to air, but residues in soil still linger for days—nature doesn’t break it down quickly
Atmosphere: Contributes to smog-forming volatile organic compounds; no ozone depletion risk
Disposal: Collect in sealed, labeled drums for pickup by hazardous waste disposal firms; burning in incinerators fitted with afterburners avoids air pollution, but backyard burning is both illegal and dangerous
Rinsing: Never pour down drains or regular trash; traces in bottles or equipment need to be washed with plenty of solvent, which itself now counts as hazardous
Recycling: Large-scale users may distill and reuse, but control systems must catch fugitive vapor
Shipping Group: Listed as a flammable liquid under national and international rules—strict packaging applies
Labeling: Flammable liquid labels required on every drum, carton, or can, even in intermediate packaging
Special Conditions: Keep containers away from heat during transport, and always transport upright inside vehicles
Emergency Procedures: Written instructions describing fire control and spill response travel with every load
Workplace Standards: Covered under national workplace safety laws, which set ceiling values for vapor exposure in air
Environmental Laws: Restricted release to water and soil; spillages must be reported to authorities depending on local rules
Labeling Rules: Product labels must warn about fire, health, and environmental risks to meet chemical safety law
Community Right-to-Know: Safety data, risk summaries, and workplace posters need to be available in jobsites using more than small lab amounts
International Conventions: Transport and use covered by United Nations treaties on dangerous goods, so compliance means global consistency
