Shipment of Tert-Butyl Lithium in Heptane

Today's blog will be discussing the shipment and receiving of hazardous materials and chemicals, specifically of the example given to us in class, t-butyl lithium in heptane.  In class, we discussed the shipment coming from Ohio State to Ohio University over night.  Whenever any hazardous material is shipped somewhere, the DOT, also short for Department of Transportation, has regulations that must be followed.  This goes for four types of transportation: rail, air, vessel and highway.  This example would be categorized under the highway.  These regulations from the DOT can be found under 49 CFR.  The Department of Transportation has their own regulations because materials can be hazardous for transportation but may not be classified as hazardous by other agencies.  There are 7 steps required for preparing a substance for transportation.  These seven steps are, from 1-7, Classify, Name, Package, Mark, Label, Paperwork, and Placard.  To classify t-butyl lithium, a clear yellowish solution, we look at the flashpoint and it would be classified as a combustible liquid because it has a flashpoint above 141 degrees F but below 200 degrees F;  a higher flashpoint than usual.  This would be in Class 3, with a Hazard priority rating of 14.  Then, the chemical or substance must be name properly.  To do this, you must give the actual name, what chemical family class it belongs to, the specific use, and the hazard class.  So, for t-butyl lithium we would write down t-butyl lithium, Alkane, Lithium-halogen exchange reactions, combustible liquid.  The next step would be to choose the type of packaging, either composite or combination.  In this case, combination would be used because you would have the stored substance inside a container, and then place that container in another container to be shipped.  A mark is then required to be on the package and secured to the package.  It can be hand written or printed, but must be legible.  They refer to all the information not expressed on the diamond shaped hazard labels.  Some of these things include if there is an inhalation hazard, radioactive hazard, if the substance is toxic, may be harmful to marine life, and many more.  There are certain requirements for bulk and non bulk package markings as well.  Next step is the labeling of the package.  The label is the diamond shape showing the hazard class information, which is combustible liquid.  This label would say nothing because for a combustible liquid there are no labeling requirements. The next step in the shipping and receiving process is the paperwork, which does not sound fun, but it is one of the most important steps.  Proper abbreviation and symbols must be used and legible.  Documentation is key in case there is a problem or something occurs in the process.  Without documentation of everything that has been done, there could be serious problems and questions later on.  The last step in the process is the placard.  This is specifically for the vehicle.  A placard must be placed on the vehicle, with the driver knowing, so that they understand what type of substance they are carrying and this also lets others around the vehicle transporting these substances what is inside the vehicle and it lets people know that they need to be very careful around this.  They are usually one word in all capital letters on a colorful sign to get your attention.  There is a long list of things that can be needed on the placard of the vehicle, however there are no other special markings needed on the placard for the category of this substance.  The only source needed for this blog was the packet provided in class.  I hope this blog provided you with some useful information about how to ship and receive hazardous materials properly.