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Chemical Name: Acetone Cyanohydrin
Common Uses: Most often known for its use in making methyl methacrylate, which pops up in plastics and paints.
Physical Appearance: Clear to pale yellow liquid, pungent odor with a bitter almond-like scent (careful—just a small whiff can warn you).
CAS Number: 75-86-5
Other Names: 2-Hydroxy-2-methylpropanenitrile, α-Cyanoisopropanol
Hazard Classes: Acute toxicity, severe eye damage, respiratory toxicity, flammable liquid
Main Hazards: Releases toxic hydrogen cyanide gas if it gets damp or heats up. Liquid on skin or in eyes brings fast, serious harm. Vapors make you dizzy and short of breath. In an unventilated space, effects can be deadly.
Warning Symbols: Skull and crossbones, exclamation mark, flame
Main Component: Acetone Cyanohydrin — typically over 98%
Impurities: Acetone, traces of hydrogen cyanide (no safe amount)
Inhalation: Get out to fresh air fast. Respiration may need help if breathing is weak. Preferably use oxygen if available.
Skin Contact: Remove soiled clothing right away. Wash skin with plenty of water—don’t skimp on flushing.
Eye Exposure: Flush eyes continuously for at least 15 minutes. Blink as much as possible to help rinse out.
Ingestion: Never give fluids if unconscious. If awake, rinse mouth and get urgent medical attention immediately.
Note: Immediate medical intervention with cyanide antidote can save a life but needs professionals.
Hazards: Highly flammable liquid and vapor. On burning, lets off toxic gases including dangerous cyanides.
Suitable Extinguishing Media: Use foam, dry chemical, or carbon dioxide—not water, which can make the hazard worse.
Firefighting Advice: Stay upwind, wear full protective gear. Cool nearby drums with water spray. Try not to breathe vapor.
Personal Protection: Evacuate area for anything more than minor spills. Use self-contained breathing apparatus and chemical-resistant gloves and suit.
Containment: Stop leak if safe. Use inert absorbents like vermiculite or sand to soak up the spill, not sawdust. Scoop into containers for disposal.
Ventilation: Fully ventilate affected area post-cleanup.
Caution: Avoid contact with water; moist environments speed up hydrogen cyanide release.
Handling: Keep containers tightly closed. Avoid even brief contact with skin and always work with ventilation that sucks vapors away from your face. Never work alone with this chemical.
Storage: Store in a dry, cool—well below normal room temperature—and locked spot away from all basic materials, acids, and oxidizers. Light-sensitive: keep out of bright sun and away from heat sources.
Tools: Use non-sparking tools and grounded containers. Never smoke or eat near this chemical.
Ventilation: Every bench and storage room must have powerful fume hoods or exhausts to pull away vapors.
Respiratory Protection: A fitted full-face respirator with cyanide-compatible cartridges, or airline respirators for tough jobs.
Skin Protection: Wear chemical-resistant gloves (butyl rubber is tough), long sleeves, and face shields.
Eye Protection: Goggles, plus splash shields for anything past a tiny quantity.
Form: Liquid
Smell: Bitter almond, pungent odor
Melting Point: Not far below freezing, boils around 120°C
Solubility: Breaks down in water, making it risky near drains or sinks
Vapor Pressure: Higher than many solvents, so vapor builds up easily
Chemically Unstable With: Moist air, acids, bases, heat, and light.
Decomposition Products: Hydrogen cyanide (which acts fast and deadly), acetone, ammonia.
Reactivity Notes: Even a bit of spilled acid or slow heat can let loose clouds of cyanide gas, putting workers and neighbors at risk.
Main Risks: Fast absorption through skin, lungs, and gut. Cyanide effects arrive in minutes—dizziness, headache, confusion, heart racing, collapse if not treated fast.
Long-term Effects: Chronic exposures aren’t common since the acute effects can overwhelm, but survivors may face lasting nerve or heart issues.
Aquatic Risk: Spills kill fish and water bugs at low levels. High solubility makes water runoffs a headache for treatment plants and rivers.
Persistence: Breaks down not-so-slowly when it meets water, but the products—hydrogen cyanide mainly—are also highly toxic.
Soil Effects: Even dry spills can seep cyanides into soil, making land unfit for crops or safe handling for years.
Incineration: Best option is high-temperature chemical incinerators with scrubbers built to trap cyanides and acids.
Prohibition: Never dump in sinks, city sewers, or storm drains.
Special Disposal: Collection by hazmat waste teams who know how to neutralize cyanides safely.
Shipping Regulation: World’s shipping authorities stamp ACH with a “highly dangerous—restricted” label.
Package Types: Must travel in sealed, break-resistant containers with secondary containment (a drum inside another drum makes sense).
Emergency Handling: Anyone moving even a small barrel needs training and backup plans to seal off areas in a spill.
Global Status: Most developed countries class acetone cyanohydrin as highly toxic, flammable, and restricted; rules demand training for all handlers and strict reporting of use and disposal.
Special Restrictions: Not permitted in consumer products. Plants using or making it must have air and water monitoring, emergency antidotes nearby, and regular safety drills.
