tert-Butyllithium, 1.5M solution in pentane

SECTION 2: Hazards identification

EMERGENCY OVERVIEW Appearance Clear solid/liquid mixture. Flash Point -30 deg C Danger! Toxic. Causes digestive and respiratory tract burns. Extremely flammable liquid and vapor. Vapor may cause flash fire. Water- reactive. Corrosive. Causes severe eye and skin burns. Pyrophoric. Spontaneously flammable in air. Harmful if inhaled. Harmful if absorbed through the skin. Aspiration hazard if swallowed. Can enter lungs and cause damage. May cause central nervous system depression. May cause kidney damage. Air sensitive. Target Organs: Kidneys, central nervous system.

Potential health effects

Eye: Causes severe eye burns. May cause irreversible eye injury. Skin: Harmful if absorbed through the skin. Contact with liquid is corrosive and causes severe burns and ulceration. Ingestion: Aspiration hazard. May cause central nervous system depression, kidney damage, and liver damage. Causes digestive tract burns with immediate pain, swelling of the throat, convulsions, and possible coma. Aspiration of material into the lungs may cause chemical pneumonitis, which may be fatal. May cause corrosion and permanent tissue destruction of the esophagus and digestive tract. May cause ear ringing, blurred vision, thyroid abnormalities, photophobia, coma, and seizures. The characteristics of lithium toxicity include: tremors, nausea, slurred speech, sluggishness, vertigo, thirst, and increased urine output. Effects from continued exposure include apathy, anorexia, fatigue, lethargy, muscular weakness, and cardiac changes. Long term exposure may lead to hypothroidism, leukocytosis, edema, weight gain, memory impairment, seizures, kidney damage, shock, hypotennsion, cardiac arrhythmias, coma, and death. Lithium has been implicated in the development of aplastic anemia. Inhalation: Inhalation of high concentrations may cause central nervous system effects characterized by nausea, headache, dizziness, unconsciousness and coma. Irritation may lead to chemical pneumonitis and pulmonary edema. Causes severe irritation of upper respiratory tract with coughing, burns, breathing difficulty, and possible coma. May cause effects similar to those described for ingestion. Chronic: Chronic inhalation and ingestion may cause effects similar to those of acute inhalation and ingestion.