Registration Dossier
Registration Dossier
Diss Factsheets
Use of this information is subject to copyright laws and may require the permission of the owner of the information, as described in the ECHA Legal Notice.
EC number: 200-001-8 | CAS number: 50-00-0
- 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

Appearance / physical state / colour
Administrative data
Link to relevant study record(s)
Description of key information
Pure formaldehyde is a colourless gas, with a pungent and suffocating odour.
Formaldehyde in aqueous solution (37 to 50 %) is a colourless liquid (at 20 °C and 1013 hPa) with a pungent odour. Cloudiness or opalescence in the formaldehyde solution is caused by polymer precipitation.
Key value for chemical safety assessment
Additional information
Formaldehyde pure substance
Twelve databases were identified regarding the appearance, physical state and colour of pure formaldehyde.
Based on the Merck index( 2013), The HSDB database (2015) and the EPA publication (2008) pure formaldehyde is a colourless gas, with a pungent and suffocating odour.
In agreement with the above, the GESTIS database (2015), Hawley's dictionary (2002), the RömppChemie (2015), Ullmanns Encyclopedia (2012), Knovel (2012) and INCHEM (1991) report formaldehyde as a colourless gas (at 20 °C and 1013 hPa), with a pungent odour.
The CRC handbook as well as Verschueren (2001)only mention that formaldehyde is a colourless gas.
According to SYKE( 2015) pure formaldehyde is a colourless gas at (20 °C and 1013 hPa) with a characteristic, hay, straw like, pungent odour.
Formaldehyde aqueous solution
Six databases were identified regarding the appearance, physical state and colour of formaldehyde in aqueous solutions.
Based on the handbook from Walker (1967), formaldehyde in aqueous solution (37 to 50 %) is a colourless liquid (at 20 °C and 1013 hPa) with a pungent odour. Cloudiness or opalescence in the formaldehyde solution is caused by polymer precipitation.
This information was confirmed by the other identified handbooks and databases. The available information is shortly summarized below.
Merck 2013: A ca. 37% (wt) of formaldehyde solution in water. Usually with 10-15 % methanol is a c olourless liquid (at 20 °C and 1013 hPa) with a pungent odour. On standing, especially in the cold, may become cloudy.
Gestis 2015: A colourless liquid (at 20 °C and 1013 hPa) with a pungent odour
EPA: 2008: A 37% formaldehyde by weight aqueous solution in water, usually with 0.5% to 15% methyl alcohol added to prevent polymerization to a solid crystalline form is a colourless liquid (at 20 °C and 1013 hPa) with a pungent odour.
RömppChemie 2015: : A ca. 37% (wt) of formaldehyde solution in water. Usually with 10-15 % methanol is a colourless liquid (at 20 °C and 1013 hPa) with a pungent odour.
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.
Reproduction or further distribution of this information may be subject to copyright protection. Use of the information without obtaining the permission from the owner(s) of the respective information might violate the rights of the owner.
