Registration Dossier
Registration Dossier
Data platform availability banner - registered substances factsheets
Please be aware that this old REACH registration data factsheet is no longer maintained; it remains frozen as of 19th May 2023.
The new ECHA CHEM database has been released by ECHA, and it now contains all REACH registration data. There are more details on the transition of ECHA's published data to ECHA CHEM here.
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: 200-464-6 | CAS number: 60-24-2
- 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
Biodegradation in water and sediment: simulation tests
Administrative data
Link to relevant study record(s)
Description of key information
The biodegradability under anaerobic and aerobic conditions as well as the elimination are investigated for 2-mercaptoethanol. In an OECD 310 study evaluating the biodegradability in an STP using non-adapted domestic activated sludge, 2-mercaptoethanol was found to biodegrade 69% after 60 days exposure. In an OECD 309 surface water mineralisation study, 2-mercaptoethanol was found to be rapidly eliminated from surface water, with a half-life of 0.079 days.
Based on the results of the OECD 309 study, the substance degrades in the aquatic environment to a level of >70% within a 28 day period and therefore, the substance is considered to be rapidly biodegradable.
Key value for chemical safety assessment
- Half-life in freshwater:
- 0.079 d
- at the temperature of:
- 22 °C
Additional information
The mineralisation of 2-mercaptoethanol in surface water was determined in a GLP-compliant study following OECD guideline 309. Radiolabelled substance was added to surface water at concentrations of 10 and 50 µg/L and incubated for 21 days under aerobic conditions. Samples of the test solutions were analysed to determine the distribution of radioactivity between the surface water and the volatilised radioactivity in the traps, and to identify, where possible, the transformation products.Mineralisation was a significant route of degradation and activity recovered as CO2 increased to more than 60% after 14 days of incubation at both test concentrations. Three major transformation products were detected which exceeded 10% of applied activity at both test concentrations. Transformation product M-1 reached a maximum of 26% after 4 hours (0.17 days) at the low test concentration and a maximum of 13% after 8 hours (0.33 days) at the high test concentration, and then decreased to non-detectable amounts after 6 days of incubation (both concentrations). Transformation product M-3 reached a maximum of 36% (low test concentration) and 30% (high test concentration after 2 days and then decreased to 14% after 9 days of incubation (low test concentration) and to <5% after 14 days of incubation (high test concentration). Transformation product M-6C reached a maximum of 41% (low test concentration) and 39% (high test concentration after 4 hours (0.17 days) and then decreased to non-detectable amounts after 6 days of incubation.It was concluded that 2-mercaptoethanol degrades quickly in water, with a half-life of 0.079 days, and no parent compound was detected in the water layers of both test concentrations after 1 day of incubation.
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.