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Administration: Office of Environmental Health & Safety

Peroxide-Forming Chemicals

The following tables list common peroxide-forming chemicals.

List A: Chemicals that may form explosive levels of peroxides without concentration by evaporation or distillation. These materials are particularly dangerous because they can be hazardous even if never opened.

Butadiene

Divinylacetylene

Tetrafluoroethylene

Chloroprene

Isopropyl ether

Vinylidene Chloride

List B: Chemicals that form explosive levels of peroxides on concentration. They typically accumulate hazardous levels of peroxides only when evaporated, distilled or otherwise treated to concentrate the peroxides (e.g. deactivation or removal of peroxide inhibitors). Therefore, they have the potential of becoming far more hazardous after they are opened.

Acetal

Dicyclopentadiene

Methyl isobutyl ketone

Acetaldehyde

Diethyl ether

4-Methyl-2-pentanol

Benzyl alcohol

Diglyme

2-Pentanol

2-Butanol

Dioxanes

4-Penten-1-ol

Cumene

Glyme

1-Phenylethanol

Cyclohexanol

4-Heptanol

2-Phenylethanol

2-Cyclohexen-1-ol

2-Hexanol

2-Propanol

Cyclohexene

Methylacetylene

Tetrahydrofuran

Decahydronaphthalene

3-Methyl-1-butanol

Tetrahydronaphthalene

Diacetylene

Methylcyclopentane

Vinyl ethers

List C: Chemicals that may autopolymerize as a result of peroxide accumulation.These chemicals have been associated with hazardous polymerization reactions that are initiated by peroxides which have accumulated in solution. These materials are typically stored with polymerization inhibitors to prevent these dangerous reactions.

Acrylic acid

Methyl methacrylate

Vinyl chloride

Acrylonitrile

Styrene

Vinylpyridine

Butadiene

Tetrafluoroethylene

Vinyladiene chloride

Chloroprene

Vinyl acetate

Chlorotrifluoroethylene

Vinylacetylene

List D: represents additional peroxide-forming chemicals which cannot be placed into the other categories but nevertheless require handling with precautions.

Acrolein

p-Chlorophenetole

Furan

Allyl ether

Cyclooctene

2,5-Hexadiyn-1-ol

Allyl ethyl ether

Cyclopropyl methyl ether

4,5-Hexadien-2-yn-1-ol

Allyl phenyl ether

Diallyl ether

n-Hexyl ether

p-(n-Amyloxy)benzoyl chloride

p-Di-n-butoxybenzene

o.p-Iodophenetole

n-Amyl ether

1,2-Dibenzyloxyethane

Isoamyl benzyl ether

Benzyl n-butyl ether

p-Dibenzyloxybenzene

Isoamyl ether

Benzyl ether

1,2-Dichloroethyl ethyl ether

Isobutyl vinyl ether

Benzyl ethyl ether

2,4-Dichlorophenetole

Isophorone

Benzyl methyl ether

Diethoxymethane

b-Isopropoxypropionitrile

Benzyl-1-napthyl ether

2,2-Diethoxypropane

Isopropyl-2,4,5-trichlorophenoxy acetate

1,2-Bis(2-chloroethoxyl)ethane

Diethyl ethoxymethylenemalonate

Limonene

Bis(2-ethoxyethyl)ether

Diethyl fumarate

1,5-p-Methadiene

Bis(2-(methoxyethoxy)ethyl) ether

Diethyl acetal

Methyl-p-(n-amyloxy)benzoate

Bis(2-chloroethyl) ether

Diethylketene

4-Methyl-2-pentanone

Bis(2-ethoxyethyl) adipate

m,o,p-Diethoxybenzene

n-Methylphenetole

Bis(2-methoxyethyl) carbonate

1,2-Diethoxyethane

2-Methyltetrahydrofuran

Bis(2-methoxyethyl) ether

Dimethoxymethane

3-Methoxy-1-butyl acetate

Bis(2-methoxyethyl) phthalate

1,1-Dimethoxyethane

2-Methoxyethanol

Bis(2-methoxymethyl) adipate

Dimethylketene

3-Methoxyethyl acetate

Bis(2-n-butoxyethyl) phthalate

3,3-Dimethoxypropene

Methoxy-1,3,5,7-cyclooctatetraene

Bis(2-phenoxyethyl) ether

2,4-Dinitrophenetole

b-Methoxypropionitrile

Bis(4-chlorobutyl) ether

1,3-Dioxepane

m-Nitrophenetole

Bis(chloromethyl) ether

Di(1-propynl) ether

1-Octene

2-Bromomethyl ethyl ether

Di(2-propynl) ether

Oxybis(2-ethyl acetate)

β-Bromophenetole

Di-n-propoxymethane

Oxybis(2-ethyl benzoate)

o-Bromophenetole

1,2-Epoxy-3-isopropoxypropane

b,b-Oxydipropionitrile

p-Bromophenetole

1,2-Epoxy-3-phenoxypropane

1-Pentene

3-Bromopropyl phenyl ether

p-Ethoxyacetophenone

Phenoxyacetyl chloride

1,3-Butadiene

2-Methoxyethyl vinyl ether

a-Phenoxypropionyl chloride

Buten-3-yne

1-(2-Ethoxyethoxy)ethyl acetate

Phenyl-o-propyl ether

t-Butyl ethyl ether

2-Ethoxyethyl acetate

p-Phenylphenetone

t-Butyl methyl ether

(2-Ethoxyethyl)-a-benzoyl benzoate

n-Propyl ether

n-Butyl phenyl ether

1-Ethoxynaphthalene

n-Propyl isopropyl ether

n-Butyl vinyl ether

o,p-Ethoxyphenyl isocyanate

Sodium 8-11-14-eicosatetraenoate

Chloroacetaldehyde diethylacetal

1-Ethoxy-2-propyne

Sodium ethoxyacetylide

2-Chlorobutadiene

3-Ethoxypropionitrile

Tetrahydropyran

1-(2-Chloroethoxy)-2-phenoxyethane

2-Ethylacrylaldehyde oxime

Triethylene glycol diacetate

Chloroethylene

2-Ethylbutanol

Triethylene glycol dipropionate

Chloromethyl methyl ether

Ethyl-b-ethoxypropionate

1,3,3-Trimethoxypropene

b-Chlorophenetole

2-Ethylhexanal

1,1,2,3-Tetrachloro-1,3-butadiene

o-Chorophenetole

Ethyl vinyl ether

4-Vinyl cyclohexene

List E: Chemicals That May Explode Due To Over-pressurized Container

(From M.J. Pitt and E. Pitt, Handbook of Laboratory Waste Disposal, Ellis Horwood Publisher, UK, 1985. Formic acid and phenol has been added to the list).

Aluminum chloride

Chromic acid

Phosphorus trichloride

Aluminum lithium hydride

Cumene hydroperoxide

Potassium Persulfate

Ammonia solution

Cyclohexne

Silicon tetrachloride

Ammonium hydroxide

Diethyl pyrocarbonate

Sodium borohydride

Ammonium persulfate

Dimethylamine

Sodium dithionite

Anisyl chloride

Formic Acid

Sodium hydride

Aqua regia

Hydrogen peroxide

Sodium hydrosulfite

Benzenesulphonyl chloride

Lauroyl peroxide

Sodium hypochlorite

Bleach

Lithium aluminum hydride

Sodium peroxide

Bleaching powder

Lithium hydride

Sodium persulphate

Calcium carbide

Nitric acid

Thionyl chloride

Calcium hydride

Nitrosoguanidine

Urea peroxide

Calcium hypochlorite

Peracetic acid

Zinc