CWU Chemistry Laboratory Specific Standard Operating Procedure
SOP for: (check one)
Process
Hazardous Chemical
Hazard Class of Chemicals
Name of Procedure: Working with Bromine
Applies to Lab (name): Chamberland Research Group
SCI Room #: 313
Prepared By: James Siegenthaler, Stephen Chamberland
Date: 8/31/12
Revision: 9/15/14
Special Notifications:
Bromine is extremely corrosive and volatile and will cause severe burns if it contacts the skin or mucous membranes.
Handle it with extreme care. Do not allow bromine to contact plastic surfaces or items. When handling or dispensing
bromine, use only glass or metal equipment. Read the SDS about other potential hazards before utilizing.
Hazard Description:
Bromine is extremely corrosive and highly toxic by inhalation. When inhaled, it can be fatal. It is a target chemical, and
causes damage to nerves and the lungs. It causes severe, painful skin burns and eye damage.
Protective Equipment:
- Lab coat
- Protective wrap-around goggles
- Working fume hood
- Two pair of chemically resistant standard nitrile gloves or one pair of extra-long heavy duty nitrile gloves, taped at the
wrist of the lab coat to protect the wrists from accidental exposure
- Long pants
- Close-toed shoes
- If using large amounts of bromine, a respirator is required
Engineering Controls:
Ensure proper ventilation to avoid inhalation. Open, dispense, and clean up bromine only within a working fume hood,
and do not handle bromine within the front six inches of the hood. Ensure that all lab equipment is rinsed thoroughly
after usage with a non-reacting solvent such as CH2Cl2. Use a large three-prong metal clamp to secure the bottle
against the floor of the hood to reduce the likelihood and severity of a spill.
Special Handling or Storage Requirements:
Practice safe handling; avoid inhalation of vapor or mist and contact with skin and eyes. Open only in a well-ventilated
fume hood, and avoid inhaling fumes.
For storage, keep container tightly closed in a dry and well-ventilated place. Containers, which are opened, must be
carefully resealed and kept upright to prevent leakage. Do not store in polyethylene containers. Handle and open
container with care. Store in designated corrosive location near ground level when not in use.
Spill Response Procedure:
If any bromine is spilled on the gloves, remove the gloves instantly and wash hands under warm water for fifteen
minutes. If handling bromine outside of the fume hood, wear respiratory protection, avoid breathing the vapors, and
ensure proper ventilation. If a large amount of bromine is spilled (>10 mL), evacuate all personnel to a safe area and
notify EH&S and the PI for cleanup procedures. Do not let the spilled product enter the drains and avoid discharging into
the environment. To contain and clean up, soak up spilled bromine with an inert absorbent material like vermiculite or
spill pads and dispose of these as hazardous waste. Bromine may also be neutralized by rinsing it with a saturated
aqueous solution of sodium thiosulfate. Keep any neutralizing rinses in a suitable closed container for disposal in the
halogenated waste container.
Decontamination/Waste Disposal:
See spill response procedure above.
Special Emergency Procedures:
If inhaled, remove subject into fresh, outside air. If breathing is laborious or non-existent, administer artificial
respiration and consult a physician.
Bromine is non-flammable, however if a fire is involved, use a water spray, dry chemical or alcohol-resistant foam to
extinguish. If other chemicals are involved, consult SDS and SOP’s to properly identify the correct extinguishing
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CWU Chemistry Laboratory Specific Standard Operating Procedure
methods.
Procedure may be performed after normal working hours (M-F, 8-5)?
Procedure may be left unattended?
Yes
Yes
No
No
Step by Step Procedure:
1. Ensure that the reaction flask(s) and all other required equipment are prepared prior to using bromine.
2. Ready a small Erlenmeyer flask or beaker with about 5 mL of CH2Cl2 to dilute and rinse bromine from all measuring
devices. Also have a plastic squirt bottle of CH2Cl2 nearby as well as a saturated aqueous solution of sodium
thiosulfate to neutralize spilled or unreacted bromine.
3. Remove the bromine from the corrosives cabinet and place it in the fume hood. Secure the bromine bottle to the
floor of the hood using a large metal three pronged clamp attached to a ring stand or to the metal bars in the fume
hood.
4. Ensure the hood sash is lowered as much as possible without impeding dexterity. Remove the parafilm and cap
from the bottle of bromine. Keep the bromine in the fume hood at all times and at least six inches from the opening
of the fume hood to ensure no vapors leak out.
5. Using a glass syringe with metal needle or a Pasteur pipet, obtain the required volume of bromine. If drawing out
bromine with a syringe, do so carefully. See the SOP Using a syringe, if questions arise. If using a Pasteur pipet,
ensure that the pipet is NEVER tipped upside down. Slowly release the rubber pipet bulb when drawing in the
reagent to prevent bromine from splashing into the bulb.
6. Add bromine dropwise to the reaction flask. If the bromine is to be dispensed into a flask covered with a rubber
septum, remove the needle very carefully from the septum to minimize the risk of splashing bromine drops onto the
gloves or lab coat.
7. Wash the syringe and needle by rinsing it several times with CH2Cl2. Dispose of these rinses in the halogenated
organic waste container after quenching the bromine using a saturated aqueous solution of sodium thiosulfate.
8. Cap and parafilm the bottle of bromine, then put it back into the left corrosives cabinet immediately after use.
9. Clean the syringe and needle immediately to reduce the chance for corrosion.
Approved By (PI) : Stephen Chamberland, Ph.D.
Date: 9/15/14
PI Signature: ___________________________________________________
Date: ___9/15/14_____
EH&S Signature: ________________________________________________
Date: ______________
PRINTED 2/9/2016
FORM CREATED BY CYNTHIA
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KUHLKEN, CHEMISTRY DEPARTMENT, CENTRAL WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
DOCUMENT1