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Chemical Name: Diethyl Oxalate
Common Uses: In labs, workers often rely on it for dye processing, as a solvent for organic syntheses, and to make perfumes or pharmaceuticals.
Appearance: Clear, colorless liquid with a fruity odor that lingers once the cap twists off.
Chemical Formula: C6H10O4
Molecular Weight: 146.14 g/mol
Synonyms: Oxalic acid diethyl ester, Ethyl oxalate
Hazard Class: Flammable liquid, health hazard when inhaled or in contact with skin.
GHS Signal Word: Warning
Major Health Risks: Will irritate eyes and skin without warning, cause respiratory issues if inhaled, and trigger headaches or nausea after contact.
Chronic Exposure Risks: Sustained low exposure results in liver or kidney stress.
Routes of Exposure: Skin contact, inhalation, accidental ingestion, or splashing into eyes.
Fire Risks: Vapors form explosive mixtures with air, especially in poorly ventilated spaces.
Component: Pure Diethyl Oxalate often shows up in drums with a purity above 98%.
CAS Number: 95-92-1
Impurities: May bring along trace oxalic acid or ethanol depending on how it's made but usually too small to matter for toxicity.
Eye Contact: Flush well with water for at least 15 minutes, avoid rubbing, and never ignore stinging or redness.
Skin Exposure: Wash off immediately with plenty of soap and water. Remove tainted clothing as it traps residue.
Inhalation: Move the person outside for fresh air. Persistent coughing or trouble breathing needs medical care.
Ingestion: Never encourage vomiting as that increases risk of aspiration. Rinse mouth, keep calm, seek medical attention.
Advice for Medical Responders: Provide supportive treatments for respiratory, eye, and skin irritation, as symptoms are mostly local unless exposure is heavy.
Suitable Extinguishing Media: Dry chemical, foam, or carbon dioxide stands up well. Water spray cools surrounding surfaces.
Hazardous Combustion Products: Burns to emit acrid smoke, carbon oxides, and at high temperatures traces of harmful fumes.
Special Exposure Hazards: Burning drums may rupture. Vapors will collect at ground level, creating flashback risks.
Personal Protection for Firefighters: Use full respiratory protection, chemical resistant gear, and avoid inhaling vapors even after flames die down.
Personal Safety: Evacuate area of non-involved personnel, secure ventilation, and keep sparks or flames well away.
Spill Cleanup: Use absorbent material like vermiculite or sand. Sweep up and hold waste in sealed containers for disposal.
Environmental Precautions: Block drains to avoid releasing liquids into sewers or waterways as the solvent will damage aquatic life.
Decontamination: Thorough washdown of surfaces afterwards, as small residues persist if not properly handled.
Handling Precautions: Always handle with gloves and goggles. Pour slowly under a fume hood. Static charges build up easily, so earth containers and instruments.
Safe Storage: Keep in tightly closed bottles in cool, properly vented areas, out of sunlight, away from sources of ignition or oxidizers.
Incompatibilities: Strong bases, oxidizers, or acids will react with it, sometimes violently.
Storage Stability: Will break down with heat or if exposed to moisture, leading to pressure build-up inside containers.
Engineering Controls: Labs and plants handling significant volumes set up local exhaust or fume hoods. General good air movement critical.
Personal Protective Gear: Wear chemical splash goggles, nitrile or neoprene gloves, and lab coats. Full-face respirators help for large spills or poorly ventilated spots.
Workplace Monitoring: Vapor concentrations should be kept as low as possible. No national exposure limits in some regions, but the solvent nature calls for careful monitoring.
Hygiene Measures: After handling, hands need thorough washing, and contaminated gear stays out of general laundry.
Appearance: Clear liquid, a little heavier than water, usually without visible color.
Odor: Fruity, noticeable even at low concentrations.
Boiling Point: Around 185°C
Melting Point: Drops out around −40°C
Flash Point: Approximately 68°C (closed cup)
Solubility: Mixes with alcohols and ethers, only partly with water.
Vapor Pressure: Moderate, so evaporation from open containers happens slowly at room temperature.
Reactivity Risks: Reacts with strong bases or acids with heat and gas release.
Stability: Sits stably in cool, dry environments, but breaks down under strong heat or moisture.
Hazardous Decomposition: Generates carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and traces of oxalic acid fumes if burns or decomposes.
Polymerization: No known rapid polymerization risks, but build-up of decomposition gases over time if left open to air or dampness.
Acute Toxicity: Irritates eyes, skin, and respiratory tract strongly. Swallowing small amounts leads to gastrointestinal irritation.
Long-term Effects: Chronic exposure associates with possible liver and kidney stress.
Routes of Entry: Fumes harm by inhalation. Liquid attacks eyes and skin directly.
Carcinogenic Status: No conclusive evidence points to a cancer risk in routine lab or industry use, though still requires respect.
Symptoms: Short bouts bring headaches, drowsiness, dizziness, and sore nose or throat.
Environmental Risks: Toxic to fish and aquatic insects even at small concentrations. Once spilled into rivers or ponds, can lower oxygen and hurt local life.
Environmental Fate: Won’t cling to soil for years but breaks down in water and air with sunlight and bacteria, so damage happens mostly right after release.
Bioaccumulation: Tends not to build up in living creatures during one-off spills, but repeated releases would stack up.
Waste Handling: Gather up waste solvents in steel drums or plastic containers marked for flammable substances.
Disposal Methods: Send to a licensed chemical disposal contractor—incineration under controlled conditions works best.
Sewage Disposal Caution: Never flush it down the drain, as municipal plants aren’t equipped to handle its organic load or toxicity.
Local Rules: Follow local and federal disposal rules to landfills or incinerators, as each place treats chemical waste differently.
Shipping Class: Flammable liquid, hazardous for road, rail, air, or sea transport.
Packing Instructions: Use UN-approved drums or jerricans, tightly sealed and clearly labeled.
Precautions: Protect from physical damage, store away from food, and check for leaks or loose seals before transit.
Spillage Risks During Transport: Spilled liquid easily spreads over concrete or soil, so keep absorbents on hand for emergencies.
Chemical Inventory Status: Listed on most international chemical inventories, including US TSCA and European REACH.
Labeling Requirements: Requires flammable liquid pictograms, hazard stats, and instructions for safe storage under relevant workplace safety laws.
Restrictions: Some countries restrict large scale sales or usage in consumer products due to toxic and environmental concerns.
Safety Standards: Compliance with OSHA, EPA, and international transport regulations keeps workers and communities safer.
