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Name: Butylbenzene. Chemical Family: Aromatic hydrocarbons. Molecular Formula: C10H14. Common Forms: Clear, colorless liquid with a sweet aromatic smell that reminds some folks of paint thinner. CAS Number: 104-51-8. Even its CAS number pops up often in safety discussions, and knowing this number gets people to exact material fast, avoiding confusion with other similar-sounding chemicals. Synonyms: n-Butylbenzene, 1-phenylbutane.
Classification: Flammable liquid and vapor under regulations like OSHA and GHS. Main Risks: Fire, eye and skin irritation, trouble if breathed in, potential impact on aquatic environments. Signal Word: Warning — not something to brush off, since spills and exposure might get serious in cramped or poorly ventilated places. Precautionary Statements: Keep away from ignition sources. Use outdoors or in a well-ventilated space. Avoid breathing vapors or letting it touch your skin. Personal experience shows that a little carelessness around this stuff, even without open flames, can make things go sideways.
Main Ingredient: n-Butylbenzene, sitting well above 95% purity in most industrial settings. Impurities: May contain trace levels of other alkylbenzenes, but nothing that changes its core risk — the main hazards follow the bulk product.
Inhalation: Remove to fresh air. Keep at rest in a comfortable position. Seek medical attention if feeling unwell, especially if breathing gets heavy or dizzy. The vapors hit fast in confined spaces, so don’t second-guess what your body tells you. Skin Contact: Wash thoroughly using soap and water. Remove contaminated clothing that soaks up the liquid. Persistent irritation means it's time to get checked out. Eye Contact: Rinse cautiously with water for several minutes. Remove contacts if easy. Get medical advice if irritation doesn’t go away. Ingestion: Do not induce vomiting. Get medical help with urgency; swallowing hydrocarbons never ends well and can lead to much worse if aspirated.
Suitable Extinguishing Media: Dry chemical, foam, CO2. Water may spread the product and isn’t ideal. Hazards from Combustion: Toxic fumes of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and sometimes irritating organic compounds. Advice for Firefighters: Wear self-contained breathing apparatus and protective clothing. Stay upwind. Small spills can leap into flames from tiny sparks; many seasoned workers learn this the hard way by seeing ‘minor vapor’ light up from static or tools.
Personal Precautions: Wear gloves and goggles. Avoid breathing fumes and stop sources of ignition. Environmental Precautions: Prevent runoff into sewers, drains, or waterways — butylbenzene floats, spreads, and sticks to soil or water surfaces causing headaches for anyone cleaning it up. Methods for Cleaning Up: Absorb with sand or inert material, shovel into container for disposal. Ventilate area fully. In real-world cases, it pays to warn the whole crew that even small leaks smell stronger than you’d expect.
Handling: Don’t eat, drink, or smoke when around it. Minimize vapor buildup; use local exhaust or open-air spaces. Static discharge risks exist, so ground containers and tools. Storage: Keep in tightly closed containers away from heat, sparks, and open flame. Store in cool and dry areas with good ventilation. The lesson: treat it like gasoline — a casual attitude gets folks hurt.
Exposure Limits: No specific OSHA or ACGIH limit, but general solvent vapor limits apply. Engineering Controls: Use exhaust fans or hoods for larger jobs. Personal Protective Equipment: Safety goggles, gloves resistant to organic chemicals, flame-resistant clothing if working with hot surfaces or open containers, and a respirator when ventilation can’t keep vapors down. Caution grows out of seeing glove materials fail or masks slipping out of position during a rush — protect the basics before getting creative.
Appearance: Clear, colorless liquid. Odor: Sweet, aromatic. Boiling Point: Roughly 183–192°C. Flash Point: About 56°C (closed cup), making it flammable at warm room temperatures. Solubility: Practically insoluble in water, mixes easily with organic solvents. Vapor Pressure: Low to moderate, but vapor hangs close to the floor — spill cleanup sometimes misses hidden vapor pools. Density: Around 0.86 g/cm3.
Chemical Stability: Stable under normal ambient conditions. Conditions to Avoid: Heat, sparks, open flames, and strong oxidizing agents. Reactivity: Can react with strong acids and oxidizers, leading to more hazardous byproducts. Hazardous Decomposition: Burns produce carbon monoxide, so enclosed spaces turn dangerous quickly if fire breaks out.
Routes of Exposure: Inhalation, skin absorption, eye contact, ingestion. Immediate Effects: Dizziness, headache, drowsiness, mild skin or eye irritation, possible nausea. Long-Term Risks: Not classified as carcinogenic, but repeated exposure to solvents like this can mess with the nervous system, liver, and kidneys. Anecdotes from longtime paint shop workers underline that regular solvent exposure stacks up — better controls make a real difference over decades.
Aquatic Effects: Toxic to aquatic life, especially fish and insects. Even small spills runoff into drains can impact streams for weeks. Persistence: Does not break down quickly; sticks to sediments and biological tissue in ways that complicate cleanup. Bioaccumulation: Likely to build up in organisms if released repeatedly. Environmental Movement: Floats on water, spreads fast, so one barrel spill covers a lot more shoreline than you’d expect.
Disposal Methods: Take as hazardous waste, managed by a licensed facility. Do not dump down drains, on soil, or into water. Container Handling: Rinse containers, treat rinsate as hazardous as well. Some folks learn that old drums leak, and leftover solvent seeps into yards or shop floors unless sealed, labeled, and handled responsibly.
UN Number: Flammable liquid designation (UN 1993). Shipping Name: Flammable liquid, n.o.s. (contains butylbenzene). Transport Hazard Class: 3 (Flammable liquids). Packing Group: III. Label Requirements: Flammable liquid. Precautions in Transport: Secure tightly, protect from physical impact and exposure to heat. Drivers and handlers should respect the real risk — spill response must be immediate to prevent fire and exposure.
Labeling Requirements: Flammable liquid labeling under OSHA and GHS. Environmental Regulations: Subject to Clean Water Act and hazardous air pollutant reporting in many jurisdictions. Worker Protection: Covered by right-to-know regulations in workplaces using significant volumes. Workers unfamiliar with these rights often skip safety steps — speaking up and training everyone lowers injuries, and that’s proved true time and again in shop floors across industries.
