Water-Reactive

Certain chemicals react with water to produce heat and flammable or toxic gases and should be stored and handled so that they do not come in contact with liquid water or water vapor.

Water reactive compounds, "xxWS" (DDC), such as those listed below, require special handling. Contact the UMD Environmental Health and Safety Office at 726-6764 for segregation and packaging instructions.

Table 5-5: Water-Reactive Chemicals

Alkali metals (sodium, potassium, etc.)
Alkali metal hydrides (lithium aluminum hydride, etc.)
Alkali metal amides
Metal alkyls, such as lithium alkyls and aluminum alkyls
Grignard reagents
Halides of nonmetals, such as BCl3, BF3, PCl3, PCl5, SiCl4, S2Cl2
Inorganic acid halides, such as POCl3, SOCl2, SO2Cl2
Anhydrous metal halides, such as AlCl3, TiCl4, ZrCl4, SnCl4
Phosphorus pentoxide
Calcium carbide
Organic acid halides and anhydrides of low molecular weight, e.g. acetyl chloride