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Name: Cyclohexane
Chemical Formula: C6H12
Synonyms: Hexahydrobenzene, Hexamethylene, Benzene hexahydride
Description: Colorless, flammable liquid with a mild, sweet odor that shows up in labs, factories, and sometimes classrooms.
Chemical Family: Alicyclic hydrocarbons
GHS Classification: Flammable liquid, Category 2.
Signal Word: Danger
Physical Hazards: Ignites easily, vapors may create explosive mixtures with air.
Health Hazards: May cause drowsiness or dizziness, skin irritation, eye irritation, and central nervous system effects after high exposures.
Environmental Hazards: Harmful to aquatic life with potential for long-lasting effects.
Cyclohexane Content: Usually over 99% cyclohexane by weight.
Impurities: May include small amounts of benzene and methylcyclopentane, depending on manufacturing process.
Inhalation: If vapors feel overwhelming, move into fresh air right away. Seek medical help if headache, confusion, or breathing trouble sticks around.
Skin Contact: Wash skin with lots of water and soap to wash away liquid or residue. Take off dirty clothing and keep an eye out for any redness or irritation.
Eye Contact: Rinse eyes with a steady flow of water for at least fifteen minutes, holding the eyelids open.
Ingestion: Do not make yourself vomit. Get medical attention. If you swallow a small amount accidentally, drink water to rinse out the mouth but do not do anything else before calling for help.
Suitable Extinguishing Media: Use foam, carbon dioxide, or dry chemical powders since water alone doesn’t put out the fire very well.
Specific Hazards: Vapors can move across distances and find ignition sources far from where the spill happened. Fire burns clean, creates irritating, toxic smoke.
Protective Equipment: Firefighters should wear self-contained breathing apparatus and protective clothing. The risk isn’t just flame—smoke can hurt too.
Special Advice: Move containers away from flames when possible. If tanks or drums get exposed to fire, keep them cool spraying them with water.
Personal Precautions: Get rid of any possible ignition sources before cleaning up. Make sure you have proper ventilation or a respirator if needed, and keep unprotected people away.
Clean-Up Methods: Dike the area to contain runoff. Absorb spilled material using sand or other inert absorbent. Shovel up the mess and place it in appropriate containers for disposal.
Environmental Precautions: Keep the liquid away from drains, sewers, and waterways. Cyclohexane can float on water and travel far before it evaporates or breaks down.
Handling: Use non-sparking tools and explosion-proof equipment. Ground and bond containers during transfer to keep static from building up. Only handle in well-ventilated spaces.
Storage: Store in tightly closed, corrosion-resistant containers in a cool, well-ventilated place away from sunlight, open flames, and oxidizing agents. Storage areas need to be labeled and checked regularly for leaks.
Other Recommendations: Do not smoke near storage containers. Rely on proper signage and training so everyone knows what’s inside those drums.
Occupational Exposure Limits: OSHA sets the Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) at 300 ppm, ACGIH suggests a lower Threshold Limit Value (TLV) of 100 ppm as a time-weighted average.
Engineering Controls: Good local exhaust ventilation makes a real difference. Use fume hoods or vented enclosures if available.
Personal Protection: Safety glasses or splash goggles for eye protection, nitrile gloves or gloves made for organic solvents, flame-resistant lab coats, and chemical-resistant shoes.
Respiratory Protection: Use a suitable respirator where exposure might go above safe limits, especially during spills or large-scale work.
Appearance: Clear, colorless liquid
Odor: Mild, sweet, reminiscent of glue or paint thinner
Boiling Point: About 81°C (178°F)
Melting Point: About 6.5°C (44°F)
Flash Point: -20°C (-4°F), so even cool rooms can be risky
Vapor Pressure: Considerable at room temperature, encourages vapor buildup in closed spaces
Solubility: Practically insoluble in water, floats and spreads quickly on surfaces
Other Properties: Lower Density than water, vapor heavier than air, volatile under common conditions
Stability: Stable under regular storage conditions but catches fire easily.
Conditions to Avoid: Heat, sparks, flames, and static electricity all represent major risks. Mixing with oxidizers can create dangerous reactions.
Incompatible Materials: Strong acids, strong bases, oxidizers; these combinations can generate heat, flames, or toxic byproducts.
Hazardous Decomposition Products: Burning cyclohexane produces carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and other harmful vapors.
Routes of Exposure: Sticking around cyclohexane mostly means breathing vapors or direct contact with skin and eyes.
Acute Effects: Short exposure at high levels can cause dizziness, drowsiness, headache, slurred speech, and narcosis. Longer or repeated exposure strips oils from the skin, causing dryness and irritation.
Chronic Effects: Ongoing exposure can affect organs like the liver and kidneys. Animal studies link high exposures with nervous system changes, though most workplaces catch issues before they reach that level.
Carcinogenicity: Not classified as carcinogenic by major safety groups. Still, caution comes first.
Other Notes: People working with solvents know well the feeling of lightheadedness or eye irritation if ventilation lacks.
Aquatic Toxicity: Harmful to fish and aquatic life if product spills into rivers and lakes.
Persistence and Degradability: Cyclohexane evaporates readily but can still move through groundwater if not cleaned up.
Bioaccumulation: Potential to accumulate in aquatic organisms; not likely to persist in humans.
Other Environmental Hazards: Spilled product floats, blocks sunlight, and may choke aquatic habitats for a time.
Waste Handling: Never dump cyclohexane down the drain or on the ground. Collect all waste—including absorbents and contaminated gear—into sealed, labeled containers.
Preferred Disposal Method: Managed incineration by a licensed chemical waste contractor works best.
Legal Obligations: Generators of hazardous waste need to keep paperwork and follow the requirements of local and federal laws.
UN Number: UN1145 for cyclohexane in bulk transport.
Proper Shipping Name: CYCLOHEXANE, classified as a flammable liquid.
Hazard Class: 3 (Flammable Liquid)
Packing Group: II (Medium danger)
Transport Precautions: Keep containers upright, secured, and away from sources of heat or ignition. Use proper hazard labeling so carriers and emergency responders can react quickly.
OSHA: Listed as a hazardous chemical with mandatory communication of dangers in the workplace.
EPA: Recognized as a hazardous air pollutant and subject to reporting rules.
Other Regulation: Must be tracked and reported based on usage, storage, and emissions through national and local programs. Recordkeeping is not just for safety but for compliance and community right-to-know laws.
