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Hazards
Fire and Explosion Hazards
EPICHLOROHYDRIN IS FLAMMABLE AND CAN FORM EXPLOSIVE MIXTURES WITH AIR.
OPEN FLAMES, SMOKING, STATIC ELECTRICITY, AND ALL OTHER SOURCES OF IGNITION
ARE TO BE AVOIDED WHEN WORKING WITH THE MATERIAL. The vapors are heavier
than air and may travel along the ground and be ignited by sparks or open
flames at locations remote from the site at which epichlorohydrin is
handled. Epichlorohydrin may polymerize and burst its container when
heated in a fire.
TOXIC GASES AND VAPORS SUCH AS HYDROGEN CHLORIDE, AND UNDER CERTAIN
CIRCUMSTANCES, CARBON MONOXIDE AND PHOSGENE, ARE RELEASED IN FIRES
INVOLVING EPICHLOROHYDRIN.
According to OSHA Safety and Health Regulations Part 1910.106,
epichlorohydrin is classified as a Class IC flammable liquid.
Epichlorohydrin must be stored in tightly closed containers in a cool, well
ventilated area away from any ignition source.
Reactivity Hazards
Because of its high reactivity, experimental reactions involving
epichlorohydrin should be first carried out on a small scale, with due
caution, to observe the speed of the desired reaction and the amount of
heat evolved. Temperature control is simplified by using a diluent (often
an excess of the second reactant is satisfactory) or by adding the
epichlorohydrin slowly as the reaction progresses. In recovering
epichlorohydrin from a reaction product, continuous distillation is
preferable to large- scale batch distillation to avoid heating large
volumes of epichlorohydrin which may inadvertently contain catalytic or
reactive substances.
Addition of epichlorohydrin to the second reactant is the preferred method
of addition; this permits the operator to avoid high concentrations of
unreacted epichlorohydrin in the reaction system. The reaction could accelerate suddenly; the heat evolved could exceed the heat removal
capacity of the system and lead to a runaway reaction.
Epichlorohydrin and its derivatives (i.e., compounds which contain the
epoxide group) are generally reactive with acids, caustics, and such bases
as ammonia and amines. Epichlorohydrin can react violently with chemically
active metals such as sodium, zinc, magnesium, aluminum, and their alloys.
Epichlorohydrin, glycidol, and glycidyl ethers have been observed to react
vigorously and explosively with strong sulfuric and with anhydrous metal
halides, such a stannic, aluminum, and ferric chlorides, even when these
reagents were slowly added to the epoxide at room temperature.
Connections between epichlorohydrin feed vessels and the reaction equipment
must be designed to avoid inadvertent contamination of the feed container.
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