Laboratory Safety - Examples of Incompatible Chemicals
| Chemical |
Is Incompatible and Should Not Be Mixed or Stored With |
| Acetic acid | Chromic acid, nitric acid, hydroxyl compounds, ethylene glycol, perchloric acid, peroxides, permanganates |
| Acetylene | Chlorine, bromine, copper, fluorine, silver, mercury |
| Acetone | Concentrated nitric and sulfuric acid mixtures |
| Alkali and alkaline earth metals (such as powdered aluminum or magnesium, calcium, lithium, sodium, potassium) | Water, carbon tetrachloride or other chlorinated hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide, halogens |
| Ammonia (anhydrous) | Mercury, chlorine, calcium hypochlorite, iodine, bromine, hydrofluoric acid (anhydrous) |
| Ammonium nitrate | Acids, powdered metals, flammable liquids, chlorates, nitrates, sulfur, finely divided organic or combustible materials |
| Aniline | Nitric acid, hydrogen peroxide |
| Arsenical materials | Any reducing agent |
| Azides | Acids |
| Bromine | See Chlorine |
| Calcium oxide | Water |
| Carbon (activated) | Calcium hypochlorite, all oxidizing agents |
| Carbon tetrachloride | Sodium |
| Chlorates | Ammonium salts, acids, powdered metals, sulfur, finely divided organic or combustible materials |
| Chromic acid and chromium trioxide | Acetic acid, naphthalene, camphor, glycerol, alcohol, flammable liquids in general |
| Chlorine | Ammonia, acetylene, butadiene, butane, methane, propane (or other petroleum gases), hydrogen, sodium carbide, benzene, finely divided metals, turpentine |
| Chlorine dioxide | Ammonia, methane, phosphine, hydrogen sulfide |
| Copper | Acetylene, hydrogen peroxide |
| Cumene hydroperoxide | Acids (organic or inorganic) |
| Cyanides | Acids |
| Flammable liquids | Ammonium nitrate, chromic acid, hydrogen peroxide, nitric acid, sodium peroxide, halogens |
| Fluorine | Everything |
| Hydrocarbons (such as butane, propane, benzene) | Fluorine, chlorine, bromine, chromic acid, sodium peroxide |
| Hydrocyanic acid | Nitric acid, alkali |
| Hydrofluoric acid (anhydrous) | Ammonia (aqueous or anhydrous) |
| Hydrogen peroxide | Copper, chromium, iron, most metals or their salts, alcohols, acetone, organic materials, aniline, nitromethane, combustible materials |
| Hydrogen sulfide | Fuming nitric acid, oxidizing gases |
| Hypochlorites | Acids, activated carbon |
| Iodine | Acetylene, ammonia (aqueous or anhydrous), hydrogen |
| Mercury | Acetylene, fulminic acid, ammonia |
| Nitrates | Sulfuric acid |
| Nitric acid (concentrated) | Acetic acid, aniline, chromic acid, hydrocyanic acid, hydrogen sulfide, flammable liquids, flammable gases, copper, brass, any heavy metals |
| Nitrites | Acids |
| Nitroparaffins | Inorganic bases, amines |
| Oxalic acid | Silver, mercury |
| Oxygen | Oils, grease, hydrogen, flammable liquids, solids, or gases |
| Perchloric acid | Acetic anhydride, bismuth and its alloys, alcohol, paper, wood, grease, oils |
| Peroxide, organic | Acids (organic or mineral), avoid friction, store cold |
| Phosphorus (white) | Air, oxygen, alkalis, reducing agents |
| Potassium | Carbon tetrachloride, carbon dioxide, water |
| Potassium chlorate | Sulfuric and other acids |
| Potassium perchlorate (see also chlorates) | Sulfuric and other acids |
| Potassium permanganate | Glycerol, ethylene glycol, benzaldehyde, sulfuric acid |
| Selenides | Reducing agents |
| Silver | Acetylene, oxalic acid, tartartic acid, ammonium compounds, fulminic acid |
| Sodium | Carbon tetrachloride, carbon dioxide, water |
| Sodium nitrate | Ammonium nitrate and other ammonium salts |
| Sodium peroxide | Ethyl or methyl alcohol, glacial acetic acid, acetic anhydrite, benzaldehyde, carbon disulfide, glycerin, ethylene glycol, ethyl acetate, methyl acetate, furfural |
| Sulfides | Acids |
| Sulfuric acid | Potassium chlorate, potassium perchlorate, potassium permanganate (similar compounds of light metals, such as sodium, lithium) |
| Tellurides | Reducing agents |
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