Chlorosilanes

Chlorosilanes are intermediates used to manufacture siloxanes and silanes – the building blocks for many silicone products. Chlorosilanes are therefore not found in final applications.

There are eight main chlorosilanes: dimethyldichlorosilane, methyltrichlorosilane, trimethylchlorosilane, methyldichlorosilane, vinyltrichlorosilane,
phenyltrichlorosilane, trichlorosilane and silicon tetrachloride.

All of these are clear liquids that react readily with water to form corrosive and toxic hydrogen chloride gas and hydrochloric acid. All except silicon
tetrachloride and phenyltrichlorosilane are also flammable.

These substances therefore need to be handled with care by producers and customers. For this reason CES has prepared the attached document ‘SafeHandling of Chlorosilanes’.
It provides information on the hazards of chlorosilanes and suggestions for their safe handling and use. In addition, users of chlorosilanes should obtain Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) from the relevant manufacturer.

Download to Safe Handling of Chlorosilanes Guidelines

The Cefic Emergency Response Intervention Cards (ERICards or ERIC's) provide guidance on initial actions for fire crews when they first arrive at the
scene of a chemical transport accident without having appropriate and reliable product specific emergency information at hand.

http://www.ericards.net/index.asp