Certified Lye™

High-Quality Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) and Potassium Hydroxide (KOH) for Making Soap

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First Aid, Safety Precautions, and Specifications for Lye (Sodium Hydroxide) and Caustic Potash (Potassium Hydroxide)

First Aid

Danger-Poison! Corrosive: Causes eye damage and severe skin burns!

If swallowed:

Rinse mouth with water and drink one or two glasses of water. Do not induce vomiting! Immediately get medical attention or call your poison control center at 1-800-222-1222.

If in eyes:

Immediately flush eyes with water. Remove any contact lenses and continue to flush eyes with water for at least 20 minutes. Immediately get medical attention or call your poison control center at 1-800-222-1222.

If on skin:

Gently wipe product from skin and remove any contaminated clothing. Flush skin with plenty of water for at least 15 minutes and then wash thoroughly with soap and water. Contact a physician or call your poison control center at 1-800-222-1222.

Safety

Solid sodium hydroxide, solid potassium hydroxide, solutions containing high concentrations of sodium hydroxide, and/or solutions containing high concentrations of potassium hydroxide may cause chemical burns, permanent injury or scarring, and blindness. Lye (sodium hydroxide) and/or caustic potash (potassium hydroxide) may be harmful or fatal if swallowed.

Solvation of sodium hydroxide and/or potassium hydroxide is highly exothermic, and the resulting heat may cause heat burns or ignite flammables.

Avoid all contact with organic tissue (including human skin, eyes, mouth, and animals or pets). Keep away from clothing. Avoid all contact with aluminum.

The combination of aluminum and sodium hydroxide results in a large production of hydrogen gas:
2Al(s) + 6NaOH(aq) → 3H2(g) + 2Na3AlO3(aq).
Hydrogen gas is explosive; mixing lye (sodium hydroxide) and aluminum in a closed container is therefore dangerous. In addition to aluminum, lye (sodium hydroxide) and/or caustic potash (potassium hydroxide) may also react with magnesium, zinc (galvanized), tin, chromium, brass, and bronze to produce hydrogen gas and is therefore dangerous. Do not allow lye or caustic potash to contact these metals.

Lye (sodium hydroxide) may react with various sugars to generate carbon monoxide, which is a poisonous gas; mixing sodium hydroxide and sugar in a closed container is therefore dangerous. Do not allow lye to contact sugar.

For more information, consulting an SDS for Lye and/or an SDS for caustic potash is suggested.

Safety Data Sheet

Certified Lye™ provides an SDS for Lye (sodium hydroxide), which may be viewed and printed.

Personal Protection

Personal protection for the safe handling of lye (sodium hydroxide) and/or caustic potash (potassium hydroxide) includes safety glasses, chemical-resistant gloves, and adequate ventilation. When in the close proximity of lye (sodium hydroxide) and/or caustic potash (potassium hydroxide) dissolving in an open container of water, a vapor-resistant face mask is recommended. Certified Lye™ sells these personal protection items (and more) on the Buy Protection page.

Storage

Lye (sodium hydroxide) is a deliquescent salt and has a strong affinity for moisture. Caustic potash (potassium hydroxide) is also highly hygroscopic. Lye and/or caustic potash will deliquesce (dissolve or melt) when exposed to open air. Either/Both will absorb a relatively large amount of water from the atmosphere (air) if exposed to it. Eventually, it will absorb enough water to form a liquid solution because it will dissolve in the water it absorbs. Lye (sodium hydroxide) and/or caustic potash (potassium hydroxide) should be stored in an airtight resealable container.

Hygroscopic substances are often used as desiccants to draw moisture away from water-sensitive items. Desiccants should never be placed inside a canister of lye (sodium hydroxide) nor caustic potash (potassium hydroxide) because lye and caustic potash have much stronger hygroscopic properties than activated carbon and silica gel (the most common ingredients in commercial desiccant packets) and will pull and absorb the water from the desiccant packets. Do not place desiccant packets inside containers of lye (sodium hydroxide) and/or caustic potash (potassium hydroxide).

Lye should be stored in air-tight plastic containers made of HDPE. The containers should be labeled to indicate the potential danger of the contents and stored away from children, pets, heat, and moisture. Certified Lye™ sells 4" by 4" Hazard Class 8 corrosive material warning label stickers on the Buy Protection page.

NFPA 704 Diamond Placard for Lye (Sodium Hydroxide) and/or Caustic Potash (Potassium Hydroxide)

NFPA 704 Image

This is the NFPA 704 diamond placard for lye (sodium hydroxide) and/or caustic potash (potassium hydroxide). Certified Lye™ openly grants permission for anyone to copy, reproduce, and use this image.

NFPA 704 Rating Definitions

Blue

Health rating 3: Short exposure could cause serious temporary or residual injury.

Red

Flammability rating 0: Will not burn.

Yellow

Reactivity rating 1: Normally stable, but can become unstable at elevated temperatures and pressures.

White

Special symbol COR: Corrosive.

Shipping and General Specifications

This is the universal diamond placard for Class 8 hazardous materials, such as lye (sodium hydroxide). The Hazard Class of 8 indicates a corrosive material. Certified Lye™ openly grants permission for anyone to copy, reproduce, and use this image. Certified Lye™ sells 4" by 4" Hazard Class 8 corrosive material warning label stickers on the Buy Protection page.

Lye (Sodium Hydroxide)

• Proper Shipping Name: Sodium hydroxide, solid
• Hazard Class: 8 (Corrosive)
• Identification Number: UN1823
• Packing Group: II
• CAS Registry Number: 1310-73-2
• Molecular Formula: NaOH
• Molecular Mass: 39.9971 g/mol
• Density and Phase: 2.1 g/cm³, solid
• Solubility in Water: 111 g/100 ml (20°C)
• Melting Point: 318°C (591 K)
• Boiling Point: 1390°C (1663 K)
• Flash Point: Not applicable; not flammable
• Basicity (pKb): -2.43
• pH: 14 (5% aq soln)
• EPA Toxicity Class: I (Danger-Poison! Corrosive—causes eye damage and severe skin burns)
• Risk Phrases: R22 (harmful if swallowed), R35 (causes severe burns)
• Safety Phrases: S1 (keep locked up), S2 (keep out of the reach of children), S26 (in case of contact with eyes, rinse immediately with plenty of water and seek medical advice), S36 (wear suitable protective clothing), S37 (wear suitable gloves), S39 (wear eye/face protection), S39 (wear eye/face protection), S45 (in case of accident or if you feel unwell seek medical advice immediately; show the label where possible)
• Synonyms: Lye, caustic soda, sodium hydrate, white caustic, soda lye, soda ash, ascarite

Caustic Potash (Potassium Hydroxide)

• Proper Shipping Name: Potassium hydroxide, solid
• Hazard Class: 8 (Corrosive)
• Identification Number: UN1813
• Packing Group: II
• CAS Registry Number: 1310-58-3
• Molecular Formula: KOH
• Molecular Mass: 56.10564 g/mol
• Density and Phase: 2.044 g/cm³, solid
• Solubility in Water: 111 g/100 ml (20°C)
• Melting Point: 360°C (633 K)
• Boiling Point: 1320°C (1593 K)
• Flash Point: Not applicable; not flammable
• pH: 14 (5% aq soln)
• EPA Toxicity Class: I (Danger-Poison! Corrosive—causes eye damage and severe skin burns)
• Risk Phrases: R22 (harmful if swallowed), R35 (causes severe burns)
• Safety Phrases: S1 (keep locked up), S2 (keep out of the reach of children), S26 (in case of contact with eyes, rinse immediately with plenty of water and seek medical advice), S36 (wear suitable protective clothing), S37 (wear suitable gloves), S39 (wear eye/face protection), S39 (wear eye/face protection), S45 (in case of accident or if you feel unwell seek medical advice immediately; show the label where possible)
• Synonyms: Caustic potash, potassium hydrate, potassa, potash lye

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Certified Lye™ • PO Box 133, Spring Valley, CA 91976-0133, USA • Tel: (619) 668-1435 • info@certified-lye.com
Certified Lye™ is a subsidiary of Acute Soap Enterprises, LLC