Safety data for carbon tetrachloride

Glossary of terms on this data sheet.

The information on this web page is provided to help you to work safely, but it is intended to be an overview of hazards, not a replacement for a full Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS). MSDS forms can be downloaded from the web sites of many chemical suppliers.

General

₄

Physical data

Appearance: colourless liquid
Melting point: -23 C
Boiling point: 77 C
Specific gravity: 1.59
Vapour density: 5.32
Vapour pressure: 91 mm Hg at 20C
Flash point: none
Explosion limits:
Autoignition temperature:

Stability

Stable. Substances to be avoided include alkali metals, chemically active metals, strong oxidizing agents, allyl alcohol, DMF, fluorine, strong bases. Keep from heat and sources of ignition.

Toxicology

This material is a probable carcinogen. Its use must be carefully assessed before work begins in the laboratory. Inhalation and ingestion are harmful, and may be fatal. Irritant. Skin contact may lead to dermatitis. Long-term exposure may lead to kidney or liver damage, CNS disturbance, cancer and damage to eyes, skin and lungs.

Toxicity data
(The meaning of any abbreviations which appear in this section is given here.)
ORL-MAN LDLO 429 mg kg^-1
ORL-RAT LD50 2350 mg kg^-1
SKN-RBT LD50 > 20000 mg kg^-1
IHL-RAT LC50 8000 ppm/4h.
ORL-GPG LD50 5760 mg kg^-1
ORL-MUS LD50 8263 mg kg^-1

Risk phrases
(The meaning of any risk phrases which appear in this section is given here.)
R23 R24 R25 R40 R48 R52 R53 R59.

Environmental information

Harmful to aquatic organisms. May cause long-term damage to the environment.

Transport information

UN No 1846. Packing group II. Hazard class 6.1.

Personal protection

Safety glasses. Good ventilation. Handle as a carcinogen. Consider an alternative chemical if possible. (Note that, because of health risks, large-scale production of this chemical is being ended; in many countries it is now be impossible to buy it without a permit.)

Safety phrases
(The meaning of any safety phrases which appear in this section is given here.)
S23 S36 S37 S45 S59 S61.

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This information was last updated on August 17, 2004. Although we have tried to make it as accurate and useful as possible, we can take no responsibility for its use or misuse.

Note also that the information on the PTCL Safety web site, where this page was hosted, has been copied onto many other sites, often without permission. If you have any doubts about the veracity of the information that you are viewing, or have any queries, please check the URL that your web browser displays for this page. If the URL begins "http://msds.chem.ox.ac.uk/" the page is maintained by the Safety Officer in Physical Chemistry at Oxford University. If not, this page is a copy made by some other person and we have no responsibility for it.