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EC number: 212-736-1 | CAS number: 865-33-8
- Life Cycle description
- Uses advised against
- Endpoint summary
- Appearance / physical state / colour
- Melting point / freezing point
- Boiling point
- Density
- Particle size distribution (Granulometry)
- Vapour pressure
- Partition coefficient
- Water solubility
- Solubility in organic solvents / fat solubility
- Surface tension
- Flash point
- Auto flammability
- Flammability
- Explosiveness
- Oxidising properties
- Oxidation reduction potential
- Stability in organic solvents and identity of relevant degradation products
- Storage stability and reactivity towards container material
- Stability: thermal, sunlight, metals
- pH
- Dissociation constant
- Viscosity
- Additional physico-chemical information
- Additional physico-chemical properties of nanomaterials
- Nanomaterial agglomeration / aggregation
- Nanomaterial crystalline phase
- Nanomaterial crystallite and grain size
- Nanomaterial aspect ratio / shape
- Nanomaterial specific surface area
- Nanomaterial Zeta potential
- Nanomaterial surface chemistry
- Nanomaterial dustiness
- Nanomaterial porosity
- Nanomaterial pour density
- Nanomaterial photocatalytic activity
- Nanomaterial radical formation potential
- Nanomaterial catalytic activity
- Endpoint summary
- Stability
- Biodegradation
- Bioaccumulation
- Transport and distribution
- Environmental data
- Additional information on environmental fate and behaviour
- Ecotoxicological Summary
- Aquatic toxicity
- Endpoint summary
- Short-term toxicity to fish
- Long-term toxicity to fish
- Short-term toxicity to aquatic invertebrates
- Long-term toxicity to aquatic invertebrates
- Toxicity to aquatic algae and cyanobacteria
- Toxicity to aquatic plants other than algae
- Toxicity to microorganisms
- Endocrine disrupter testing in aquatic vertebrates – in vivo
- Toxicity to other aquatic organisms
- Sediment toxicity
- Terrestrial toxicity
- Biological effects monitoring
- Biotransformation and kinetics
- Additional ecotoxological information
- Toxicological Summary
- Toxicokinetics, metabolism and distribution
- Acute Toxicity
- Irritation / corrosion
- Sensitisation
- Repeated dose toxicity
- Genetic toxicity
- Carcinogenicity
- Toxicity to reproduction
- Specific investigations
- Exposure related observations in humans
- Toxic effects on livestock and pets
- Additional toxicological data
Endpoint summary
Administrative data
Description of key information
Additional information
Potassium methanolate is a white to yellowish organic solid salt that decomposes above 300 °C (OECD SIDS 2006). Potassium methanolate has a calculated vapour pressure of 1.05 x 10-6 Pa (study director 2003). On contact with water the substance decomposes rapidly and exothermically under formation of methanol and potassium hydroxide (OECD SIDS, 2006). Due to the fast decomposition the hydrolysis products are relevant for the evaluation of the partitioning in the environmental compartments.
Potassium hydroxide
Potassium hydroxide is a strong alkaline substance that
dissociates completely in water to K+ and OH-. In
the majority of natural waters pH levels are between 6 and 10, which
illustrates that OH- is a widely occurring chemical in
nature. Also K+ is widely found in natural waters.
Atmospheric emissions in the form of aerosols are rapidly neutralized by
carbon dioxide as occurs with other bases (US EPA, 1988) and the salts
will be washed out by rain. For this reason, potential atmospheric
emissions of KOH are considered of no concern. (OECD SIDS, 2002)
High water solubility and low vapour pressure indicate that potassium hydroxide will be found predominantly in aqueous environments. The substance characteristics imply KOH will not adsorb on particulate matter or surfaces and will not accumulate in living substances (OECD SIDS, 2002). Significant emissions to the terrestrial environment are not expected during normal handling and use of KOH. Small terrestrial emissions will be neutralized by the buffer capacity of the soil. For this reason, the environmental assessment can be limited to the aquatic compartment. (OECD SIDS, 2002)
An addition of KOH to an aquatic ecosystem may increase the pH depending on the buffer capacity of the receiving water. In general, the buffer capacity is regulated by the equilibrium between CO2, HCO3- and CO32-:
CO2 + H2O * HCO3- + H+ (pKa1 = 6.35)
HCO3- * CO32- + H+ (pKa2 = 10.33)
The pH of effluents is normally measured very frequently, can be adapted easily and these effluents are commonly neutralised, and therefore a significant increase of the pH of the receiving water is not expected.
Emissions of potassium originating from the use of potassium hydroxide are small compared to other sources (natural and anthropogenic) of potassium. KCl is a very large volume fertiliser (global production of 24 million tons K in 1989).
Methanol
If released to the environment methanol is readily
biodegradable (76 – 82% BOD-removal after 5 days). The log Pow of
methanol is -0.77, indicating a low bioaccumulation potential and low
potential for adsorption (study director, 2009). The low potential for
bioaccumulation was confirmed by experimental BCF-values of < 10 that
have been determined in different fish species (Freitag et al., 1985,
Gluth et al., 1985). Gaffney et al. (1987) published a Henry’s law
constant of 0.461 Pa m³/mol for methanol indicating a low potential for
volatilisation. If released to the air compartment, methanol will be
photodegraded by hydroxyl radicals with a half-life of 17 - 18 days
(Atkinson, 1989).
Information on Registered Substances comes from registration dossiers which have been assigned a registration number. The assignment of a registration number does however not guarantee that the information in the dossier is correct or that the dossier is compliant with Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 (the REACH Regulation). This information has not been reviewed or verified by the Agency or any other authority. The content is subject to change without prior notice.
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