Substance profile
Calcium phosphide
Calcium phosphide is red-brown crystalline powder or gray lumps with a musty, like acetylene odor.
01 · Identification
What Calcium phosphide is
Calcium phosphide is red-brown crystalline powder or gray lumps with a musty, like acetylene odor. Its molecular formula is Ca3P2 and its molecular weight is 182.18 g/mol. It melts at 1599 °C.
Under the GHS it carries the signal word Danger. It is classed as flammable agents - 3rd degree.
Other names for Calcium phosphide
- tricalcium diphosphide
02 · GHS classification
Hazards and label elements
Harmonised classification under CLP Annex VI. This is the legally binding classification in the EU; other jurisdictions may differ.
| Code | Hazard statement |
|---|---|
| H260 | In contact with water releases flammable gases which may ignite spontaneously. |
| H330 | Fatal if inhaled. |
| H300 | Fatal if swallowed. |
| H311 | Toxic in contact with skin. |
| H318 | Causes serious eye damage. |
| H400 | Very toxic to aquatic life. |
Supplemental EU statements: EUH029, EUH032
Precautionary statements: P260, P270, P271, P273, P280, P301, P302, P304, P305, P310, P330, P338, P352, P391, P501
This page lists only the codes assigned to Calcium phosphide. The full reference lives on the hazard statements hub, the precautionary statements hub and the GHS pictograms hub.
03 · Physical and chemical properties
Calcium phosphide properties
Every value is shown with the conditions it was measured under and the source it came from. Where sources disagree, all values are listed rather than one being picked — the difference is usually a different form of the substance, not an error.
| Property | Value | Conditions | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boiling point | Decomposes | decomposes | HSDB |
| Melting point | 1599 °C (2910 °F) | CAMEO | |
| 1600 °C (2912 °F) | ICSC | ||
| 1600 °C (2912 °F) | approximate | HSDB | |
| Density | 2.51 g/cm³ | HSDB | |
| 2.5 g/cm³ | ICSC | ||
| 2.51 g/cm³ | at 20 °C | CAMEO | |
| Solubility | Insol in alcohol, ether; reacts with water | HSDB | |
| Decomposed by water to phosphine | decomposes | HSDB | |
| Odor threshold | 1-100 mg/cu m. | HSDB | |
| Odor Threshold Low: 0.13 [ppm] | Haz-Map | ||
| Odor Threshold High: 13.4 [ppm] | Haz-Map |
Values compiled from PubChem Laboratory Chemical Safety Summary. Temperatures converted to Fahrenheit for reference.
04 · Handling and storage
Storing and handling Calcium phosphide
Storage conditions
KEEP DRY AND TIGHTLY CLOSED.
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Incompatible materials
Reacts with chlorine, chlorine monoxide, evolving phosphine.
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Reactivity
CALCIUM PHOSPHIDE and hydrochloric acid undergo a very energetic reaction [Mellor 8:841 1946-47]. Calcium and other alkaline earth phosphides incandesce in oxygen when heated.
Source: CAMEO Chemicals
Planning storage for a mix of chemicals? Check Calcium phosphide in the storage compatibility matrix →
Safety Data Sheet
Getting an SDS for Calcium phosphide
A Safety Data Sheet is written for a product, not for a substance: the supplier of the grade you actually buy issues it, so two suppliers of Calcium phosphide issue two different sheets. That is why there is no single authoritative SDS for a substance to download — what there is, is the job of collecting the sheets for the products you hold and keeping them current as suppliers revise them.
Nearby
Substances next to Calcium phosphide
Keep going: substances starting with C, or search the whole database by name, CAS number, pictogram or signal word.