Chemicals - Important Information

The grades of chemicals appearing in this catalogue are defined as follows:

ACS Chemicals which meet or exceed the requirements of the American Chemical Society as listed in the latest edition of “Reagent Chemicals, American Chemical Society Specifications”.

REAGENT Chemicals of high purity for which there are no official standards. Purity specifications are reported directly on the label for most items.

LAB-GRADE Chemicals which generally meet or exceed the specifications listed in the latest editions of “United States Pharmacopeia/National Formulary (USP/NF)”.

PURIFIED/ PRACTICAL Chemicals of good quality where there are no official standards but which are of sufficiently high purity to be suitable for many uses.

TECHNICAL Commercial grade chemicals which are clean and of reasonable chemical purity. These are generally intended for industrial use, but also find use in some laboratory applications.

STORAGE WARNING It is important to keep in mind that a particular chemical may possess more than one hazardous quality.

CORROSIVE Attacks other materials-including body tissue-by direct chemical action. Corrosive injury may range from sensitization to destruction of body tissue. Keep corrosives in cabinets designed to store such materials. Keep acids away from bases in a separate storage area.

OXIDIZER Supplies oxygen in a fire situation. Store away from anything flammable or combustible.

FLAMMABLE Will burn at room temperature up to 140°F with any ignition source. Store in a separate flammables cabinet.

TOXIC Produces serious short and/or long-term health effects if ingested, inhaled and/or absorbed through the skin. A chemical’s toxicity is detailed in its Material Safety Data Sheet, Section V: “Health Hazard Data”. Keep these chemicals in a separate locked cabinet.