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Chemical Name: Diethylaluminum Chloride
Chemical Formula: C4H10AlCl
Common Uses: Often used as a strong alkylating agent and catalyst in industrial and research settings, particularly in the polymerization of olefins and organic synthesis.
Physical Appearance: Clear to pale yellow liquid, sharp irritating odor.
Common Settings for Use: Chemical research labs, polymer manufacturing operations, specialty chemical plants.
Routes of Entry: Inhalation, skin and eye contact, accidental ingestion.
Main Risks: Highly flammable liquid and vapor, reacts violently with water releasing toxic gases, causes severe burns and eye damage, corrosive to tissue, significant inhalation danger due to volatile hydrogen chloride formation.
Potential Health Effects: Skin contact leads to severe burns, scarring, and delayed tissue injury. Eye exposure threatens irreversible injury or blindness. Inhalation brings risk of chemical pneumonitis, lung edema, severe irritation and pain in mucous membranes. Ingestion can perforate digestive tract.
Environmental Hazards: Threatens aquatic organisms because of high reactivity and toxicity. Spill or release can devastate local water sources and soil ecosystems.
Fire Hazards: Vapors may form explosive mixtures. Ignition sources include open flame, hot surfaces, or static discharge.
Active Ingredient: Diethylaluminum Chloride (CAS 96-10-6)
Impurities: Trace amounts of triethylaluminum, ethyl chloride, or hydrocarbon solvents may be present, depending on source.
Physical State: Fuming, colorless to light yellow, highly mobile liquid.
Solubility: Decomposes violently in water. Not soluble in most common aqueous solutions.
Inhalation: Leave contaminated area quickly. Get victim into fresh air and keep at rest. Immediate oxygen and medical attention are critical. Delay in treatment brings risk of life-threatening lung damage.
Skin Contact: Immediately remove contaminated clothing. Flood affected area with cool running water for at least 20 minutes. Do not attempt neutralization on the skin. Seek advanced medical help right away.
Eye Contact: Rinse eyes gently under lukewarm flowing water for 20 minutes or more, lifting eyelids regularly. Avoid rubbing eyes.
Ingestion: Do not induce vomiting. Rinse mouth, but avoid swallowing the rinse. Get emergency care as quickly as possible.
Additional Notes: Symptoms may be delayed, so always monitor for respiratory or neurological issues long after exposure seems resolved.
Suitable Extinguishing Media: Use dry sand, powdered graphite, or Class D extinguishing agents. Carbon dioxide offers limited effectiveness, but water causes violent reaction and should not be used.
Special Hazards: Fire produces clouds of hydrogen chloride, aluminum oxides, ethyl chloride, toxic and irritating gases.
Protective Gear: Self-contained breathing apparatus, full protective suit impervious to corrosives.
Firefighting Tips: Move containers from fire if safe, but avoid breathing vapor or decomposition gases. Remain upwind and out of low-lying areas.
Runoff Concerns: Prevent chemical runoff from entering drains or sewers. Dike fire-control water for later disposal.
Personal Protection: Equip all response personnel with chemical-resistant suits, goggles, and uncompromised respirators.
Spill Response: Isolate area and evacuate non-essential personnel. Suppress vapors, never use water on the spill. Cover with inert absorbent like dry sand. Scoop carefully into secure, dry containers.
Ventilation: Increase ventilation if possible to reduce vapor levels, but avoid electrical or open flame sources.
Environmental Considerations: Block entry to waterways, storm drains, or soil. Dispose of contaminated cleanup material under strict hazardous waste guidelines.
Follow-Up: After cleanup, decontaminate surfaces only with recommended chemicals; avoid improvising with common cleaning agents.
Handling Guidelines: Work under local exhaust ventilation or fume hood. Only trained personnel in properly equipped environments should handle open containers. Avoid all self-assured shortcuts—double-check every seal and connection.
Storage Recommendations: Store in tightly sealed containers, under inert atmosphere (nitrogen or argon). Keep in cool, dry, segregated area well away from moisture, water, and incompatible materials (acids, oxidizers, halogenated compounds).
Labeling: Use clear and durable labels marking both primary and secondary containers. Never store near commonly used solvents or oxidizers.
Incompatibilities: Strict separation from all water sources and strong oxidizers; a single leak could spark fire or uncontrolled reaction.
Transfer Practices: Never work alone while handling. Plan spill management ahead of time, keep neutralizing agents handy (though not water), and never overfill containers.
Engineering Controls: Fume hoods, explosion-proof ventilation, splash barriers, grounded transfer systems.
Personal Protective Equipment: Chemical-resistant gloves (like butyl rubber), goggles with side protection, full face shields, flame-retardant lab coats, long pants, closed shoes. In high-risk areas, use full-body suits.
Respiratory Equipment: Approved air-purifying respirators or self-contained units for all operations outside a controlled glovebox or fume hood.
Hygiene Practices: Remove and thoroughly wash contaminated clothing before reuse. Shower after each session involving the chemical, even with no obvious exposure.
Exposure Limits: No specific regulatory limits, but keep all airborne concentrations as low as technologically possible due to unpredictably severe corrosive and systemic toxicity.
Appearance: Colorless to light yellow, fuming liquid.
Odor: Sharp, stinging; highly irritating.
Boiling Point: Around 123-125°C under normal pressure.
Melting Point: Estimated around -100°C, but varies depending on purity.
Vapor Pressure: Moderate at room temperature, enough to pose inhalation risk.
Solubility: Decomposes violently in water; soluble in some hydrocarbons under anhydrous conditions.
Density: Typically falls near 0.94 g/cm³.
Reactivity: Strongly reactive with water and oxygen; air exposure may ignite vapors.
Corrosivity: Attacks common metals and tissues; destroys organic fabrics on contact.
Chemical Stability: Stable only under inert gas with moisture strictly excluded.
Conditions to Avoid: Exposure to humid air, atmospheric moisture, heat, and incompatible substances.
Hazardous Decomposition: Hydrogen chloride, ethyl chloride, and aluminum oxides released during combustion or hydrolysis.
Polymerization: No anticipated uncontrolled polymerization, but uncontrolled reaction with water releases flammable gas.
Incompatibilities: Water, alcohols, acids, strong oxidizers, amines; each can set off rapid reaction or fire.
Storage Materials: Only handle in glass or specially lined steel. Avoid contact with conventional plastics and rubbers.
Routes of Exposure: Inhalation, skin, eye, ingestion.
Acute Effects: Severe corrosive injury to any contacted tissue; inhalation may produce delayed respiratory effects including pulmonary edema and chemical burns to airways.
Chronic Effects: Repeated exposures linked to dermatitis, chronic bronchitis, and impaired lung function.
Symptom Progression: Immediate pain, swelling or coughing; delayed effects up to 24 hours can include tissue necrosis or lung damage.
Systemic Toxicity: Absorption through skin or lungs carries risk of systemic damage, including neurological and hepatic effects, with no clear antidote.
Carcinogenicity: No strong evidence for carcinogenicity, but cumulative exposure risks have not been completely mapped.
Environmental Threats: Reacts on contact with water to unleash aluminum hydroxide, hydrocarbons, and hydrochloric acid, each disrupting aquatic ecosystems.
Soil Impact: Persistent toxicity in case of spill, with significant alteration to local pH and destruction of plant roots.
Aquatic Toxicity: Lethal to aquatic invertebrates and fish at low concentrations.
Bioaccumulation: No solid evidence for substantial bioaccumulation, but high reactivity poses danger for immediate food chains.
Degradation: Hydrolyzes rapidly; breakdown products yet remain hazardous.
Hazardous Waste Guidelines: Treat as hazardous waste under controlled conditions; route through licensed chemical waste handlers.
Neutralization Methods: Slowly react under controlled, anhydrous conditions with neutralizing agents recommended by professional chemists, then dispose of resultant solids or solutions in accordance with local regulations.
Container Disposal: Do not reuse or recycle. Rinse contaminated vessels only under inert conditions. Destroy or incinerate at high temperatures where possible for complete mineralization.
Cautions: Strict recordkeeping for all handled and disposed material, down to laboratory scale, prevents regulatory or environmental fallout.
Shipping Class: Flammable, corrosive liquid; must move only in approved, sealed containers.
Securement: Use secondary containment within all transport vehicles or drums. Avoid shipment with incompatible goods, including acids and oxidizers.
Emergency Procedures: Responders need full PPC and SCBA equipment for any leaks during transit.
Labeling: Prominently mark packages for flammable and corrosive contents, and communicate all routing instructions to handlers.
International Restrictions: Subject to strict controls and possible restrictions, varies by country.
Hazard Symbols: Flammable, Corrosive.
Restrictions: Transport, handling, environmental discharge, and occupational use all subject to regulation under chemical safety and hazardous materials laws globally.
Mandatory Controls: Safety training, inventory tracking, incident reporting, and environmental monitoring required in most jurisdictions.
Workplace Controls: Legally enforced exposure prevention measures, emergency readiness, and PPE standards.
Environmental Release: Prohibited except under tightly controlled conditions with mitigation.
Updates: Regulatory guidance subject to change as new toxicity or environmental impact data become available.
