Calorimetric Data.
The most important aspect of data is an understanding of how the values were derived.
Was the value calculated or obtained through experimental tests? There are many
sources of calorimetric data, some of which are listed in this section.
There are many published sources of chemical data. Sax's Dangerous Properties of
Industrial Materials (Ref. 3-10) is one frequently used reference, as are the databases
maintained by the Chemical Abstracts Service and the American Institute of Chemical
Engineers Design Institute for Physical Property Data (DIPPR®) (Ref. 3-1). Government
agencies and funded organizations like the U.S. Coast Guard, the Environmental
Protection Agency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the World Bank
have also published chemical data. Specific threshold limits applicable to certain
chemicals are included in federal, state, and local legislation and regulations.
[Link] Material Safety Data Sheets
Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs) are a widely used system for cataloging
information on chemicals, chemical compounds, and chemical mixtures. MSDS
information may include instructions for the safe use and potential hazards associated
with a particular material or product. These data sheets can be found anywhere where
chemicals are being used.
An MSDS should list incompatible materials that pose a reactivity hazard with the
subject material. Potential incompatibles include chemicals that can trigger a violent
decomposition or polymerization reaction. If a material is water reactive, it should be so
indicated in the MSDS. It should also be denoted in the MSDS Section 3 (Hazards
Identification) and on the NFPA 704 (Ref. 3-11) placard system for identifying hazards
of materials by the symbol W with a line through it on the bottom of the placard.
The MSDS is an important component of product stewardship and workplace safety;
it is intended to provide workers and emergency personnel with procedures for handling
or working with that substance in a safe manner and includes information such as
physical data (melting point, boiling point, flash point, etc.), toxicity, health effects, first
aid, reactivity, storage, disposal, protective equipment, and spill-handling procedures.
[Link] Incompatibility Charts
Chemical incompatibility charts can provide a preliminary indication of potential
reactivity hazards associated with binary combinations of chemicals or chemical
families. An example is the NOAA / EPA Chemical Reactivity Worksheet (Ref. 3-12)
software tool for the preparation of material-specific incompatibility charts.
[Link] Reactivity Listings in NFPA Standards and in Other References
Many National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards provide classification
schemes for a wide range of materials. Some include:
. NFPA 30, Flammable and Combustible Liquids Code, 2008 Edition (Ref. 3-5)
. NFPA 55, Compressed Gases and Cryogenic Fluids Code, 2010 Edition
(Ref. 3-13)
. NFPA 400, Hazardous Materials Code, 2010 Edition (Ref. 3-14)
3. BASIC PHYSICAL PROPERTIES / THERMAL STABILITY DATA 51
. NFPA 491, Fire Protection Guide to Hazardous Materials, 13' Edition
(Ref. 3-15)
Perhaps the most widely utilized and comprehensive handbook for preliminary
evaluations of chemical reactivity hazards is Bretherick's Handbook (Ref. 3-16). Other
very useful references for this purpose include Sax's Handbook (Ref. 3-10), Grewer
(Ref. 3-17), Pohanish and Green (Ref. 3-18), and the CCPS guidelines on reactivity
hazard evaluations (Ref. 3-19).
Papers by Frurip et al. (Ref. 3-20) and Leggett (Ref. 3-21) provide excellent
guidance on good current practices being followed by organizations experienced in this
type of hazard evaluation. In the specific case of water-reactive and pyrophoric
materials, the Gibson and Weber (Ref. 3-22) handbook contains property data for about
425 such materials.
[Link] Theoretical Considerations
Combinations of chemical compounds with known thermochemical properties are
amenable to calculations of heat of reaction and of adiabatic reaction temperature for
potentially self-reacting chemicals. Conceptually, it is possible to use these calculated
values to provide a preliminary indication of the hazard of these compounds reacting
adiabatically. However, the thermochemical equilibrium calculations do not provide any
indication of the ease of reaction initiation and the rate of reaction. Therefore, these
theoretical calculations are of far less value than preliminary reactivity indications based
on reported experience and testing.
[Link] Government and Other Toxicity Databases and Listings
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) maintains perhaps the most comprehensive
and extensive database for health effects of chemicals (Integrated Risk Information
System (IRIS) (Ref. 3-23)). According to the EPA, "the information in IRIS is intended
for those without extensive training in toxicology, but with some knowledge of health
sciences."
Table 3.3 contains a list of some government and other toxicity databases and
listings, along with their websites.
