9 December 2002 1

CHEMICALS - SHELF LIVES (DRAFT)

The following information on the shelf life of the chemicals required for Leaving
Certificate Chemistry has been compiled from one particular source. This information
should only be taken as indicative of the general nature of the chemicals listed. Other
sources of information may differ somewhat from this. The number of categories used
has been reduced slightly for the sake of simplicity.

Every effort has been made to ensure that the data on storage, class and shelf lives is
accurate at the time of compilation. However, changes in these categories occur
from time to time as (i) more information becomes available and (ii) regulations
change.

The categories of shelf life are:
Indefinite: A term used frequently to communicate the fact that the substance has no
fixed or definable life expectancy.
Indefinite*: A term used frequently to communicate the fact that the substance has no
fixed or definable life expectancy as long as the substance is stored correctly.
Good: If stored under reasonable conditions of temperature and humidity (25C at 50%
or less humidity) the substance should have a long and useful life.
Fair: If stored under reasonable conditions, the products useful life may be three years
or less.
Poor: The substance does not store well under reasonable conditions.


Chemical Name
Hazard
Symbol
Storage Group Shelf Life
Absolute Alcohol flammable Red Good*
Aluminium foil ------ Grey Indefinite
Aluminium Metal Sheets
(20 pack)
------- Grey Indefinite
Aluminium Oxide ------- Red Indefinite
Aluminium Powder flammable Red Indefinite
Aluminium Sulfate ------------ Grey Indefinite
Ammonia 0.88 corrosive Green Indefinite*
Ammonium Chloride harmful Grey Fair to poor
Ammonium dihydrogen
phosphate
------ Grey Indefinite
Ammonium Iron(II) Sulfate --------- Grey Fair to poor
Ammonium Metavanadate toxic Blue Indefinite
Ammonium Molybdate harmful Grey Indefinite
Ammonium Nitrate oxidising Yellow Good*
Ammonium Phosphate --------- Grey Indefinite
Ammonium Sulfate ---------- Grey Indefinite

9 December 2002 2
Chemical Name
Hazard
Symbol
Storage Group Shelf Life
Ammonium Thiocyanate harmful Grey Poor
Anti-bumping granules ------- Grey Indefinite
Barium Chloride harmful Blue Indefinite
Barium Hydroxide corrosive Green Poor
Benzaldehyde harmful Red Fair
Benzoic Acid harmful Grey Indefinite
Bismuth (III) Chloride corrosive Grey Poor
Bleach (liquid) corrosive,
oxidising
Yellow Good
Bleaching Powder corrosive,
oxidising
Yellow Fair to poor
Bromine corrosive,
toxic
White Good*
Bromothymol Blue ---------- Grey Indefinite
Buffer Solutions, pH 4,7,10 ----------- Grey Poor
Butan-1-ol harmful Red Poor
Butanal flammable Red Poor
Butanoic Acid corrosive White Indefinite*
Butanone flammable,
irritant
Red Good*
Calcium Carbide(calcium
dicarbide)
flammable Red Good*
Calcium Carbonate -------- Grey Indefinite
Calcium Carbonate -
Marble Chips
--------- Grey Indefinite
Calcium Chloride irritant Grey Fair to poor
Calcium Granules flammable Red Good*
Calcium Hydroxide irritant,
corrosive
Grey Fair to poor
Calcium Oxide corrosive Blue Fair to poor
Candles ------- Grey Indefinite
Carbon Electrodes (packet) ------- Grey Indefinite
Charcoal flammable Grey Good*
Citric Acid irritant Grey Poor
Cloves -------- Grey Indefinite
Cobalt Chloride toxic Grey Good*
Cobalt(II) Nitrate toxic yellow Poor
Copper (I) Oxide harmful Grey Poor
Copper (II) Carbonate harmful Grey Indefinite
Copper (II) Chloride toxic Blue Poor
Copper (II) Oxide harmful Grey Indefinite
Copper (II) Sulfate harmful Grey Fair
Copper (II) Sulfate
Anhydrous
harmful Grey Fair

9 December 2002 3
Chemical Name
Hazard
Symbol
Storage Group Shelf Life
Copper Electrodes --------- Grey Indefinite
Copper Turnings --------- Grey Indefinite
Copper wire (bare 22 swg) --------- Grey Indefinite
Cyclohexane flammable Red Indefinite*
Decon 90 irritant Grey Indefinite
Detergent ------- Grey Indefinite
Disodium hydrogen
phosphate
------ Grey Good*
Dyes, Water Soluble, Red
& Blue
------- Grey Indefinite
EDTA Disodium Salt harmful Grey Indefinite
Ethanal flammable,
irritant
Red Poor
Ethanedioic Acid (Oxalic
Acid)
harmful White Indefinite
Ethanoic Acid corrosive Red Indefinite*
Ethanol 95% flammable Red Indefinite*
Ethyl Benzoate harmful Red Good*
Ethyl Ethanoate flammable Red Good*
Fehling's Solution No. 1 ---------- Grey Fair
Fehling's Solution No. 2 corrosive Green Fair
Glass Wool --------- Grey Indefinite
Glucose - Anhydrous --------- Grey Good*
Glycerol -------- Grey Indefinite
Heptane flammable Red Good*
Hexane flammable,
harmful
Red Indefinite*
Hydrochloric Acid corrosive White Good*
Hydrochloric acid-
Ampoules (box)
corrosive White Good*
Hydrogen Peroxide - 100
vol
corrosive,
oxidising
Yellow Fair to poor
Indicator paper box
(selection)
--------- Grey Good*
Iodine harmful Yellow Fair
Iron (II) Sulfate harmful Grey Fair to poor
Iron (III) Chloride irritant Grey Fair to poor
Iron metal filings ----- Grey Indefinite
Iron tablets (packet) ------- Grey Good
Lard ------- Grey Good*
Lauroyl Peroxide oxidising,
irritant
Yellow Fair to poor
Lead Bromide toxic Blue Fair to poor
Lead Electrodes toxic Grey Indefinite

9 December 2002 4
Chemical Name
Hazard
Symbol
Storage Group Shelf Life
Lead Ethanoate toxic Blue Fair to poor
Lime Water (Calcium
Hydroxide)
irritant Green Fair to poor
Lithium flammable,
corrosive
Red Indefinite*
Lithium Chloride harmful Grey Fair to poor
Litmus Powder --------- Grey Indefinite*
Lycopodium Powder flammable Grey Indefinite*
Magnesium Carbonate -------- Grey Indefinite
Magnesium Powder flammable Red Indefinite*
Magnesium Ribbon flammable Red Indefinite*
Magnesium Sulfate --------- Grey Poor
Manganese Dioxide harmful Grey Indefinite*
Manganese Sulfate
Dihydrate
harmful Grey Poor
Methanal (Formaldehyde
Solution)
toxic,
corrosive
Blue Fair
Methanoic Acid (Formic
Acid 90%)
corrosive White Poor
Methanol flammable,
toxic
Red Good*
methyl orange powder toxic Grey Indefinite
Methyl orange solution flammable,
harmful
Red Fair
Methyl Red powder -------- Grey Indefinite
Methyl Red solution flammable Red Fair to poor
Methylated Spirits flammable,
harmful
Red Indefinite*
Methylbenzene (toluene) flammable,
harmful
Red Good*
Nichrome Wire ----------- Grey Indefinite
Nitric Acid corrosive,
oxidising
Yellow Fair to poor
Octane flammable Red Good*
Paraffin - liquid ------- Red Indefinite
Paraffin - Light ------- Red Indefinite*
Pentane flammable Red Indefinite
Petroleum Ether (40/60) flammable,
harmful
Red Indefinite*
Petroleum Jelly --------- Red Indefinite
Phenolphthalein solid -------- Grey Indefinite
Platinum Wire -------- Grey Indefinite
Poly(chloroethene) -PVC ------- Grey Indefinite
Poly(ethene) (low density) ------- Grey Indefinite
Poly(ethene)(high density) ------ Grey Indefinite

9 December 2002 5
Chemical Name
Hazard
Symbol
Storage Group Shelf Life
Polypropene -------- Grey Indefinite
Polystyrene
(Poly(phenylethene)
------- Grey Indefinite
Polytetrafluoroethene
(PTFE)
-------- Grey Indefinite
Potassium Bromide --------- Grey Fair to poor
Potassium Chloride -------- Grey Poor
Potassium Chromate irritant Blue Indefinite
Potassium Dichromate,
crystalline
toxic Blue Indefinite
Potassium Hydroxide corrosive Green Indefinite
Potassium Iodate oxidising Yellow Indefinite
Potassium Iodide ------- Grey Poor
Potassium Metal flammable,
corrosive
Red Poor
Potassium Nitrate oxidising Yellow Good*
Potassium Permanganate oxidising,
harmful
Grey Indefinite
Potassium Permanganate -
Ampoules (box)
oxidising,
harmful
Grey Good*
Potassium Sodium Tartrate ------- Grey Fair to poor
Potassium Thiocyanate harmful Grey Fair to poor
Propan - 1 - ol flammable Red Indefinite*
Propan - 2 - ol flammable Red Poor
Propanal (propionaldehyde) flammable,
irritant
Red Poor
Propanone flammable Red Good*
Silver Nitrate corrosive Yellow Indefinite
Sodium Bromide ------- Grey Fair to poor
Sodium Carbonate -
Anhydrous
irritant Grey Fair to poor
Sodium Carbonate -
Hydrated
irritant Grey Fair to poor
Sodium Chloride ------ Grey Fair to poor
Sodium Dichromate -
Crystalline
toxic Blue Fair to poor
Sodium Ethanoate ------- Grey Fair to poor
Sodium
Hydrogencarbonate
------ Grey Good*
Sodium Hydroxide corrosive Green Good*
Sodium Hydroxide -
Ampoules
corrosive Green Good*
Sodium Hypochlorite
Solution
corrosive Yellow Good
Sodium metabisulfite harmful Grey Poor

9 December 2002 6
Chemical Name
Hazard
Symbol
Storage Group Shelf Life
Sodium Metal in paraffin flammable,
corrosive
Red Good*
Sodium Sulfate -------- Grey Indefinite
Sodium sulfate anhydrous ----- Grey Indefinite
Sodium Sulfite ------- Grey Fair to poor
Sodium Thiosulfate ------ Grey Fair to poor
Solochrome Black irritant Grey Indefinite
Sphere poly:pk/100 25mm -------- Grey Indefinite
Starch - soluble ------- Grey Indefinite*
StrontiumChloride ------ Grey Fair to poor
Styrene (Phenylethene) irritant Red Fair to poor
Sugar ------ Grey Indefinite*
Sulfur - Fine Powder ------ Grey Indefinite
Sulfuric Acid corrosive White Good*
Tin Plate or Foil (25 mm2) ------- Grey Indefinite
Trimethylpentane, 2, 2, 4,
(iso-octane)
flammable Red Good*
Universal Indicator Solution flammable Red Indefinite
Urea ------- Grey Indefinite
Vegetable oil ------ Grey Fair
Vinegar ------ Grey Indefinite
Wooden Splints (100 Pack) ------ Grey Indefinite
Zinc Carbonate irritant Blue Indefinite
Zinc Electrodes ------- Grey Indefinite
Zinc Granulated ------- Grey Indefinite
Zinc Powder flammable Grey Good*