74-96-4

A colorless volatile liquid. Slightly soluble in water and denser than water. Flash point below 0°F. Vapors are heavier than air. Toxic by inhalation. Irritates skin and eyes. Used to make pharmaceuticals and as a solvent.

ETHYL BROMIDE(74-96-4) will react with steam to produce toxic and corrosive fumes. ETHYL BROMIDE(74-96-4) can react vigorously with oxidizers. ETHYL BROMIDE(74-96-4) reacts with strong bases. ETHYL BROMIDE(74-96-4) also reacts with chemically active metals such as sodium, potassium, calcium, powdered aluminum, zinc and magnesium. ETHYL BROMIDE(74-96-4) will attack some forms of plastics, rubber and coatings.

Highly flammable. Slightly soluble in water and denser than water. Turns yellow on exposure to air and light.

Toxic by ingestion, inhalation, and skin absorption; strong irritant. Questionable carcinogen. Flammable, dangerous fire hazard, explosion limits in air 6–11%.

TOXIC; may be fatal if inhaled, ingested or absorbed through skin. Inhalation or contact with some of these materials will irritate or burn skin and eyes. Fire will produce irritating, corrosive and/or toxic gases. Vapors may cause dizziness or suffocation. Runoff from fire control or dilution water may cause pollution.

This chemical is used as an industrial chemical, pharmaceutical, and veterinary drug; as an ethylating agent in organic synthesis and gasoline; as a refrigerant; and as an extraction solvent. It has limited use as a local anesthetic

HIGHLY FLAMMABLE: Will be easily ignited by heat, sparks or flames. Vapors may form explosive mixtures with air. Vapors may travel to source of ignition and flash back. Most vapors are heavier than air. They will spread along ground and collect in low or confined areas (sewers, basements, tanks). Vapor explosion and poison hazard indoors, outdoors or in sewers. Runoff to sewer may create fire or explosion hazard. Containers may explode when heated. Many liquids are lighter than water.

If this chemical gets into the eyes, remove any contact lenses at once and irrigate immediately for at least 15 minutes, occasionally lifting upper and lower lids. Seek medical attention immediately. If this chemical contacts the skin, remove contaminated clothing and wash immediately with soap and water. Seek medical attention immediately. If this chemical has been inhaled, remove from exposure, begin rescue breathing (using universal precautions, including resuscitation mask) if breathing has stopped and CPR if heart action has stopped. Transfer promptly to a medical facility. When this chemical has been swallowed, get medical attention. Give large quantities of water and induce vomiting. Do not make an unconscious person vomit.

UN1891 Ethyl bromide, Hazard Class: 6.1; Labels: 6.1-Poisonous materials.

May form explosive mixture with air. Hydrolyzes in water, forming hydrogen bromide (HBr). Oxidizers may cause fire or explosions. Fire and explosions may be caused by contact with chemically active metals: aluminum, magnesium or zinc powders; lithium, potassium, sodium. Attacks some plastic, rubber and coatings. Note: Chlorinating agents destroy nitrogen mustards. Dry chlorinated lime and chloramines with a high content of active chlorine, vigorously chlorinate nitrogen mustards to the carbon chain, giving low toxicity products. In the presence of water this interaction proceeds less actively. They are rapidly oxidized by peracids in aqueous solution at weakly alkaline pH. In acid solution the oxidation is much slower

Ethyl bromide is a colorless to yellow liquid that becomes a gas at temperatures above 101 °F (38 ℃). Ethyl bromide has an etherlike odor and a burning taste. Ethyl bromide is miscible with alcohols, ether, chloroform, and organic solvents; its water solubility is 9000 mg l-1 at 25 ℃. Ethyl bromide’s vapor density relative to air is 3.76.

colourless liquid with an ether-like odour

Ethyl bromide is a colorless liquid (turns yellow on contact with air) with an ethereal odor and a burning taste. A gas above the boiling point.

Controlled incineration with adequate scrubbing and ash disposal facilities.

Clear, colorless to yellow, volatile liquid with an ether-like odor. Odor threshold concentration is 3.1 ppm (quoted, Amoore and Hautala, 1983).

Ethyl bromide is used as a refrigerant and asan ethylating agent. It was formerly used asa topical anesthetic.

Ethylating agent in organic synthesis; as refrigerant. Formerly used as a topical and inhalation anesthetic.

Ethylating agent in synthesis of pharmaceuticals; refrigerant

A colorless volatile compound, used as a refrigerant. It can be made from ethene and hydrogen bromide.

Bromoethane is produced by the reaction of either hydrogen or potassium bromide with cold ethanol or with ethylene and sulfuric acid (Hawley, 1977; Sittig, 1979; Merck, 1983). It is commercially available at greater than 99% purity. Production from two U.S. manufacturers was estimated at 163.5 million pounds in 1986 (CSITC, 1987); no recent import and export information was available in the literature.

This chemical is considered to be an animal carcinogen with unknown relevance to humans. There is no EPA (IRIS) file.
In the lifetime carcinogenic/toxicology study, groups of rats and mice were exposed 6 h/day, 5 days/week for 104 weeks to 0, 100, 200, or 400 ppm by inhalation. Survival of rats was unaffected or in the case of the 100 ppm female rats was significantly above the control group. Body weights were also unaffected.
Likewise survival of mice was little affected by exposure except for a decrease in survival at 400 ppm in female mice, which also had body weights 6–16% lower than controls after 29 weeks. No clinical signs were apparent in any group, but at autopsy there was evidence of respiratory irritation at 400 ppm. It was concluded that there was clear evidence of an increase in neoplasms (endometrial adenomas,adenocarcinomas, and squamous cell carcinomas) in the uteri of female mice. The tumors contributed to the decreased survival of the female mice exposed to 400 ppm. The terminal rats of uterine tumors were 0, 3, 14, and 61% in the 0, 100, 200, and 400 ppm groups.
There was equivocal evidence of carcinogenic activity in the lungs of male mice, and a marginally increased incidence of neoplasms in the brain and lungs of female rats. Male rats were considered to have some evidence of a slightly increased incidence of tumors in the adrenals, brain, and lungs. Although there was a clear dose–response relationship in female mice, the dose response in male mice and rats of both sexes was not as clear.

Biological. A strain of Acinetobacter sp. isolated from activated sludge degraded ethyl bromide to ethanol and bromide ions (Janssen et al., 1987). When Methanococcus thermolithotrophicus, Methanococcus deltae, and Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum were grown with H2-CO2 in the presence of ethyl bromide, methane and ethane were produced (Belay and Daniels, 1987).
Groundwater. Groundwater under reducing conditions in the presence of hydrogen sulfide converted ethyl bromide to sulfur-containing products (Schwarzenbach et al., 1985).
Chemical/Physical. Hydrolyzes in water forming ethanol and bromide ions. The estimated hydrolysis half-life at 25 °C and pH 7 is 30 d (Mabey and Mill, 1978).

Color Code—Blue: Health Hazard/Poison: Storein a secure poison location. Prior to working with thischemical you should be trained on its proper handling andstorage. Before entering confined space where this chemicalmay be present, check to make sure that an explosive concentration does not exist. Store in an explosion-proof refrigerator under an inert atmosphere and protect from light.Keep away from incompatible materials listed above.Where possible, automatically pump liquid from drums orother storage containers to process containers

The main impurities are usually EtOH and water, both of which form azeotropes with it. Ethanol and unsaturated compounds can be removed by washing with conc H2SO4 until no further coloration is produced. The ethyl bromide is then washed with water, aqueous Na2CO3, and water again, then dried with CaCl2, MgSO4 or CaH2, and distilled from P2O5. Olefinic impurities can also be removed by storing the ethyl bromide in daylight with elemental bromine, later removing the free bromine by extraction with dilute aqueous Na2SO3, drying the ethyl bromide with CaCl2 and fractionally distilling it. Alternatively, unsaturated compounds can be removed by bubbling oxygen containing ca 5% ozone through the liquid for an hour, then washing with aqueous Na2SO3 to hydrolyse ozonides and remove hydrolysis products, followed by drying and distillation. [Beilstein 1 IV 150.]

Ethyl bromide is an irritant to mucous membranes, is a central nervous system depressant, and causes histopathological changes in the liver, renal tissue, and heart.