Nickel carbonyl

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Substance name	Nickel carbonyl
CASR number	13463-39-3
Molecular formula	Ni(CO)₄
Synonyms	Nickel tetracarbonyl; Tetracarbonyl nickel; (T-r)-nickel tetracarbonyl

Physical and chemical properties *Physical properties:* Nickel Carbonyl is a volatile, yellow liquid with a musty odour. Melting Point (°C): -25 Boiling Point (°C): 43 Vapour Density: 5.89 Specific gravity: 1.32 at 17°C *Chemical properties:* Nickel Carbonyl is flammable and explosive. It is slightly soluble in water, but soluble in other organic solvents. Flashpoint: (°C) -20
Common uses Nickel Carbonyl is used in refining nickel ore, forming nickel films and coatings, as a catalyst in various chemical reactions, and in glass plating.
Sources of emissions Point sources The primary sources of nickel carbonyl are the industries that manufacture it or use it in production, such as nickel mining and refining, the chemical industry, glass and metal plating companies. Diffuse sources, and point sources included in aggregated emissions data Sub-threshold facilities in the industries that use the substance. Natural sources Nickel Carbonyl is not expected to be found occurring naturally. Mobile sources There are no known sources of mobile emissions of Nickel Carbonyl. Consumer products which may contain Nickel carbonyl There are no known consumer products containing nickel carbonyl.
Health effects How might I be exposed to Nickel carbonyl? Workers in the industries that use or produce nickel carbonyl are at risk of exposure. Consumers can be exposed to nickel carbonyl by exposure to air from production facilities, processing facilities, and disposal sites using or receiving nickel carbonyl. By what pathways might Nickel carbonyl enter my body? Nickel carbonyl will enter the body if we breathe in contaminated air. It can also pass through the skin. Relative health hazard On a health hazard spectrum of 0 - 3 Nickel carbonyl registers 2.5. A score of 3 represents a very high hazard to health, 2 represents a medium hazard and 1 is harmful to health. Factors that are taken into account to obtain this ranking include the extent of the material's toxic or poisonous nature and/or its lack of toxicity, and the evaluation of its tendency to cause, or not cause cancer and/or birth defects. It does not take into account exposure to the substance. Human exposure is reflected in the NPI rank given to this substance (see comparative data below). A substance that scores highly as a health hazard is arsenic at 2.3 and one of the lowest scores is ammonia at 1.0. Health guidelines Worksafe Australia: The eight hour time weighted average (TWA) exposure limit is 0.05 parts per million. Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (NHMRC and ARMCANZ, 1996): For nickel: Maximum of 0.02 mg/L (i.e. 0.00002 g/L). See the Additional Information page for current health information. The Australian NOHSC National Exposure Standards Database link is probably the most useful source of information. Note that the emissions data in the NPI database is not directly comparable with these guidelines. What effect might Nickel carbonyl have on my health? Initial exposure to nickel carbonyl can cause headache, chest tightness, dizziness, weakness, sweating, cough, nausea and vomiting. These may improve, but hours later (12 hours to five days) following a severe exposure, lung (pulmonary) symptoms may appear including fever, pneumonia, respiratory failure, cerebral oedema and death. At lower concentrations these vapours cause irritation, congestion, and oedema of the lung. Nickel carbonyl is a probable human carcinogen, and may be a teratogen (cause harm to a foetus).
Environmental effects *Environmental Fate* Nickel carbonyl quickly evaporates to a gas if released as a liquid. It will oxidise in the air to nickel oxide and carbon dioxide. Environmental Transport Industrial emissions of nickel carbonyl can produce elevated, but still low level concentrations in the atmosphere around the source. Relative hazard to the environment On an environmental spectrum of 0 - 3 Nickel carbonyl registers 1.5. A score of 3 represents a very high hazard to the environment and 0 a negligible hazard. Factors that are taken into account to obtain this ranking include the extent of the material's toxic or poisonous nature and/or its lack of toxicity, and the measure of its ability to remain active in the environment and whether it accumulates in living organisms. It does not take into exposure to the substance. Environmental exposure is reflected in the NPI rank for this substance (see comparative data below). A substance that scores highly as an environmental hazard is oxides of nitrogen at 3.0 and one of the lower scores is carbon monoxide at 0.8. Environmental guidelines Australian Water Quality Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Waters (ANZECC, 1992): For nickel: Fresh waters Maximum of 15 to 150 micrograms per Litre (i.e. 0.000015 to 0.00015 g/L), depending on water hardness. Marine waters Maximum of 15 micrograms per Litre (i.e. 0.000015 g/L). See the Additional Information page for current environmental guidelines. Note that the emissions data in the NPI database is not directly comparable with these guidelines. What effect might Nickel carbonyl have on the environment? Nickel carbonyl evaporates when exposed to air. It has high acute (short-term) toxicity on aquatic life. It has high chronic (long-term) toxicity to aquatic life. Chronic and acute effects on plants, birds or land animals have not been determined. However, the serious effects seen in humans would be expected to be seen here. Nickel compounds are highly persistent in the environment, and are expected to bioaccumulate.
Comparative data NPI Rank Approximately 400 substances were considered for inclusion on the NPI reporting list. A risk ranking was given based on health and environmental hazard identification and human and environmental exposure to the substance. Some substances were grouped together at the same rank with 208 ranks in total. Nickel carbonyl was ranked as 25 out of the 208 ranks. Total hazard score (human health + environmental criteria) = 4.
Sources of information used in preparing this article Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council (ANZECC) (1992) Australian Water Quality Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Waters ChemFinder WebServer Project (1995), Nickel carbonyl (accessed, May, 1999) Environmental Defense Fund (1998), Nickel carbonyl: The Chemical Scorecard: (accessed, May, 1999) Environmental Health Center, a division of the National Safety Council, Environment Writer -- Chemical Backgrounders Nickel Compounds 1 (July, 1997) (accessed, May, 1999) National Environment Protection Council (1998a), National Environment Protection Measure for the National Pollutant Inventory (accessed, May, 1999) National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and Agriculture and Resource Management Council of Australia and New Zealand (ARMCANZ) (1996) Australian Drinking Water Guidelines. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (US), International Chemical Safety Cards, Nickel carbonyl (accessed, May, 1999) New Jersey Department of Health, Right to Know Program (1986), TRIFacts, Nickel carbonyl (accessed, May, 1999) New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (1995), Hazardous Substance Fact Sheet, Nickel Carbonyl, PO Box 368, Trenton, NJ. Technical Advisory Panel (1999), Final Report to the National Environment Protection Council. Worksafe Australia (1996), Exposure Standard Nickel carbonyl (as Nickel) (accessed, May, 1999) Worksafe Australia (1996), Hazardous Substance Nickel carbonyl (accessed, May, 1999)

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