INCOMPATIBILITY OF COMMON CHEMICALS
(This table is reproduced from the CCH Laboratory Safety Manual courtesy of CCH Australia Ltd.)
The following substances may react violently when mixed with other chemicals and must be kept apart. The list is a summary of important examples taken from the range of hazardous chemicals. For a complete reference to incompatibility of chemicals refer to laboratory safety publications.
| Chemical | Not compatible with |
|---|---|
| Acetic acid | Chromium (VI) oxide, nitric acid, alcohols, ethylene glycol, perchloric acid, peroxides, permanganates. |
| Acetylene | Chlorine, bromine, fluorine, copper, silver, mercury. |
| Activated charcoal | Calcium hypochlorite, oxidising agents. |
| Alkali metals | Water, carbon tetrachloride and other halogenated alkanes, carbon dioxide halogens. |
| Aluminium alkyls | Water. |
| Ammonia, laboratory gas | Mercury (eg in pressure gauges), chlorine, calcium hypochlorite, iodine, bromine, hydrogen fluoride. |
| Ammmonium nitrate | Acids, powdered metals, flammable liquids, chlorate, nitrates, sulphur, fine particulate organic or combustible material. |
| Analine | Nitric acid, hydrogen peroxide. |
| Bromine | See chlorine. |
| Chlorates | Ammonium salts, acids, powdered metals, sulphur, fine particulate organic or combustible substances. |
| Chlorine | Ammonia, acetylene, butadiene, butane, methane, propane, hydrogen, petroleum benzine, benzene, powdered metals. |
| Chomium (VI) oxide | Acetic acid, naphthalene, camphor, glycerol, petroleum spirit, alcohols, flammable liquids. |
| Copper | Acetylene, hydrogen peroxide. |
| Cumene hydro-peroxide | Acids, both organic and inorganic. |
| Cyanides | Acids. |
| Flammable liquids | Ammonium nitrate, chrominium (VI) oxide, hydrogen peroxide, nitric acid, sodium peroxide. |
| Fluorine | Store separately. |
| Hydro-carbons | Fluorine, chlorine, bromine, chromiun (VI) oxide, sodium peroxide. |
| Hydrogen Fluoride | Ammonia, laboratory gas or liquid. |
| Hydrogen peroxide | Copper, chromium, iron, metals and metal salts, alcohols, acetone, organic substances, analine, nitromethane, combustible substances. |
| Hydrogen sulphide | Fuming nitric acid, oxidising gases. |
| Iodine | Acetylene, ammonia (laboratory gas or solution). |
| Mercury | Acetylene, ammonia. |
| Nitric acid, conc | Acetic acid, analine, chromium (VI) oxide, prussic acid, hydrogen sulphide, flammable liquids and gases. |
| Oxalic acid | Silver, mercury. |
| Perchloric acid | Acetic anhydride, bismuth and its alloys, alcohols, paper and wood. |
| Phosphorus | Sulphur, oxygen containing compounds such as chlorates. |
| Potassium | See alkali metals. |
| Potassium chlorate | See chlorates. |
| Potassium Permanganate | Glycerol, ethylene glycol, benzaldehyde, sulphuric acid. |
| Silver | Acetylene, oxalic acid, tartaric acid, ammonium compounds. |
| Sodium | See alkali metals. |
| Sodium peroxide | Methanol, ethanol, glacial acetic acid, anhydride, benzaldehyde, carbon disulphide, glycerol, ethylene glycol, ethyl and methyl acetate, furfurol. |
| Sulphuric acid | Potassium chlorate, potassium perchlorate, potassium permanganate. |
Note: This page is maintained by Debbie Smith, Risk Management Office. Last revised 29/10/99.