Chemical Storage and Compatibility

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Find general guidelines for compatibilities of several chemical groups.

Guidelines

This list is not meant to be all-inclusive or cover every possible combination. If you have any specific compatibility issues or if unsure which chemicals can be safely stored together, contact the expert below.

Chemical Group
Incompatible With
Flammable solvents (xylene, toluene, benzene, ethyl benzene, etc) Caustics, acids (with the exception of acetic acid which should be stored along with flammables), oxidizers
Inorganic acids, non-oxidizing (sulfuric, hydrochloric, phosphoric acids, etc.) Caustics, flammables, cyanides, sulfides, most halogenated and non-halogenated organics, reducing compounds, peroxides
Inorganic acids, oxidizing (nitric, chromic acids, etc.) Organic acids, flammables, caustics, cyanides, sulfides, most halogenated and non-halogenated organics, reducing compounds, peroxides
Organic acids (formic acid, etc.) Inorganic acids (oxidizing), flammables, cyanides, sulfides, caustics, most non-halogenated and halogenated organics
Oxidizers (sodium nitrate, potassium nitrate, etc.) Organics, inorganic acids, organic acids, reducers
Water reactives (sodium metal, lithium, etc) Water, should be stored separate from all other chemicals
Cyanide and sulfide compounds Inorganic and organic acids
Ammonia Bleach, acids, organics
Halogenated solvents (chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, trichloroethylene, etc.) Acids, caustics, oxidizers

Other Resources

The Chemical Reactivity Worksheet is a free program you can use to find out about the reactivity of substances or mixtures of substances from the Office of Response and Restoration, National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Contact an Expert

head shot of Joshua Snyder Hazardous Materials Supervisor.

Joshua Snyder

Laboratory Safety Manager

Environment, Health & Safety

Phone: 716-829-5829

Email: jsnyder8@buffalo.edu